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Posted: Tuesday 4 July, 2017 at 10:13 AM

HIV/AIDS infection rate remains stable…says Destang-Richardson

Gardenia Destang-Richardson
By: Jermine Abel, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – HEAD of the National AIDS Programme in St. Kitts and Nevis, Gardenia Destang-Richardson has indicated that the infection rate has remained stable for the first half of the year. 

     

    That announcement came during a recent media interview in which she was addressing reporters on the recently held Scotia Bank Regional Testing Day.
     
    According to Destang-Richardson, on average, the Federation records about 10 to 12 new cases of positive HIV test.
     
    She explained that those numbers might increase because more tests are being carried out and it is more likely to capture persons.
     
    “The cases may go up as testing increases, [but] that does not mean that you have an outburst or an outbreak of new people with the virus,” she said. “It just means that more people are knowing whether they have it or not.”
     
    Based on information published in media reports back in December, the Federation had on record 270 individuals living with the virus.
     
    “We do believe that there are persons walking around who don’t know their HIV status - if whether they are positive or negative. So, we are asking the question: Are you positive or are you negative?”
     
    Thus far for the year, Destang-Richards noted that they have not seen anything alarming that could cause concerns in the Federation when it comes to the detection of new cases.
     
    “The numbers are pretty much stable from what we have seen. The numbers that we have seen is consistent with what we have seen in the past.”
     
    On Friday (Jun. 30), officials from the Ministry of Health and HIV Programme took to the Independence Square to celebrate 10 years of their regional testing and partnership with Scotia Bank and Caribbean Media Alliances.
     
    “This is an opportunity for Ministries of Health in all countries to get together with their local Scotia Bank to stage an event that would encourage more persons to know their HIV status towards the end of eliminating AIDS,” Destang-Richards said.
     
    She pointed out that the first step in the elimination process “is getting people tested and knowing your status”, adding that it is to know if one is positive or negative.
     
    Destang-Richardson informed that their current data shows that individuals between the ages of 17 to 25 and those over 40 are the ones who have been testing positive for the HIV virus.
     
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