St. Kits and Nevis' Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and members of the PANCAP Team during an April 2005 Mission to Brazil to discuss the provision of antiretroviral drugs to persons living with HIV/AIDS in the Eastern Caribbean. (Photo by Erasmus Williams)

Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, who is also the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) point man on HIV/AIDS and other health issues, at its meeting on Monday was informed that the rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Federation of 1.1 percent as assessed by the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre “translates to about 340 persons living with HIV/AIDS.”

The government is “resolved to work even more fervently to combat and arrest the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and recognizes the continuing need for a multi-sectoral approach with strong partnerships involving local, regional and international partners,” said Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Sustainable Development, Information and Technology, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty.

Cabinet was updated on the CARICOM/Pan-Caribbean Action Plan for HIV and AIDS Action Plan (PAN-CAP).

PANCAP was established in February 2001 by the CARICOM Heads of State and aims to scale up the response to HIV/AIDS in the Region.

Minister Carty said that in the update, matters of law, ethics and Human Rights relating to HIV and AIDS and persons affected by the epidemic were discussed in fair detail.

“The update comes as Phase 3 of the PAN-CAP National Assessment Exercise on HIV/AIDS in the Federation. In Phase 4, recommendations for legal and policy reforms will be made to the government in a draft report, after which the National AIDS Secretariat will receive a final report, in Phase 5,” he said.~~Adz:Right~~

The final report is to be submitted to Cabinet by August 10, 2007 and will guide the evolution of the national response to HIV/AIDS in the Federation of St. Kitts and  Nevis.