1 in every 160 persons in SKN infected with HIV/AIDS
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts– According to the latest statistics from the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat in the Ministry of Health, the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in St. Kitts and Nevis has risen to 288 in 2007. The statistics however do not include testing done in the last quarter of that year.
Based on data from both St. Kitts and Nevis government statistics departments, the 2001 census puts the combined population for the twin islands at 47,323.
There were at least eighteen new cases of HIV/AIDS reported in 2007; twice as many as the nine reported in 2006. With every 1 in 160 individuals in the Federation testing positive, the National HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Gardenia Destang Richardson agreed that the statistics may seem alarming, but stressed that this dramatic jump in positive cases is probably related to an increase in the number of people being tested and not necessarily to a rampant spread of the disease.
Though exact data is unavailable, the Ministry of Health assumes that a majority of reported positive cases are a result of unsafe sex practices and plans to promote safer sex practices in 2008, such as the use of condoms and abstinence. Richardson also urged anybody who has had unprotected sex, of any variety, in the past ten years to seek testing. Even if a person has been tested previously, it is important to be tested again occasionally because HIV/AIDS may lie dormant for some time before becoming ‘testable’.
~~Adz:Right~~ Data compiled by the Robert Ross International University of Nursing in St. Kitts has shown to the Ministry of Health that the community outreach testing days of the past few years have been largely successful in educating the public about the disease. “In 2008 we plan to have even more national and community testing days in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Richardson.
“The Ministry of Health will continue to work in 2008 to make more diagnosis and treatment options available to everyone, but the largest problem is the negative social stigma and discrimination that surround victims of the disease.
“Discrimination is a problem that affects everybody because anyone can by infected by this disease. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate against race, age, sex or creed. Ensuring privacy is one of our top priorities in the New Year. The ministry now allows either a family member or the physician of a patient to pick up their medication for them, reducing a person’s chances of being stereotyped and labeled as a victim.
The recent rumors of a large number of girls at Nevis’ secondary schools being infected with HIV/AIDS demonstrates how quickly misinformation can spread, but Richardson feels that education is one aspect of the solution. She said that the government needs to be concerned with not only making information available, but also with changing people’s behavior. The National AIDS Coordinator added that she hoped more of the ministries will work together on the problem in 2008 and also encourage more community involvement.
She emphasized the importance of knowing one’s status, saying that even sexually active teens could get tested once they were accompanied by an adult. HIV/AIDS testing is conducted free of charge at all the health centers throughout both islands and at hospitals for a minimal fee. Persons can also avail themselves of the services of independent laboratories.
“Persons under the age of sixteen who have been sexually active in any way should get tested. If they are afraid to tell their parents then they should ask a relative or adult that they trust to accompany them.”
