Archives: Media Releases

UNAIDS has released its annual flagship report, showing that the Caribbean could reach the testing and treatment targets that will put it on course to end its AIDS epidemic if it accelerates its response. According to Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90-90-90 targets, in order to speed up progress the region must improve strategies to ensure more people living with HIV are diagnosed and that there are higher levels of viral suppression among those on treatment.

“The region has achieved remarkable progress in expanding HIV services,” said UNAIDS Regional Support Team Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Dr César Núñez. “We need to continue work to ensure that we leave no one behind.”

The report gives a detailed analysis of progress and challenges toward achieving the benchmarks set to help the world achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. These targets are for 90% of all people living with HIV to know their status, 90% of diagnosed people to access sustained antiretroviral treatment and 90% of all people accessing treatment to achieve viral suppression by 2020.

Caribbean on track to reach treatment coverage target

The Caribbean has achieved strong progress related to getting people living with HIV on treatment and reducing deaths due to AIDS, but gaps remain. In the region four of five (81%) people living with HIV who know their status are accessing antiretroviral therapy. This means the region as a whole is doing a fairly good job at starting people on treatment following diagnosis. Haiti is the only country in the region to have achieved the second target–at least 90% of diagnosed people on treatment.

HIV treatment coverage has contributed to a 52% decline in AIDS-related deaths in the Caribbean over the last decade. Another positive note is that the scale has tipped and more than half of all people (52%) living with HIV in the region are on antiretroviral therapy. However, there is still a significant proportion of people (48%) not yet accessing treatment.

Region lagging behind on testing and viral suppression

Of concern is the fact that the region is lagging behind on HIV testing and viral suppression. Progress must be accelerated for the Caribbean to achieve the 90-90-90 targets that will set it on course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

One-third of people (36%) living with HIV in the Caribbean are not aware of their HIV status. Community-centred strategies are urgently needed to reach those who have not yet been diagnosed.

The Caribbean must also improve efforts to keep people in care once they’ve started treatment and to ensure that treatment is successful. Only about half of people accessing antiretroviral therapy in the Caribbean had access to routine viral load testing. In 2016 one-third (33%) of those on treatment were not virally suppressed. (“Viral suppression” means that people living with HIV have been treated to lower the level of HIV in their blood to undetectable levels. This protects their health while preventing transmission of the virus). Notably, several countries are getting closer to reaching the target. Three of four people on treatment achieved viral suppression in Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Dr Nunez emphasised that “community health workers and civil society are critical to securing early HIV diagnosis and successful treatment”. The report called for greater community involvement in Caribbean health-care provision in order to reach the 90-90-90 targets.

To view the full report click here.

Updated data here.

Ms Elizabeth Lloyd, Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and Ms Patricia Smith-Cummings, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist are conducting a mission with support from the PANCAP Global Fund Grant to review and adopt existing regional reporting forms to standardize regional reporting for the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) and to provide technical assistance for the capture of data for the CRSF indicators.

Read more about the CRSF here and visit the CARPHA website here.

Director of PANCAP, Mr Dereck Springer and UNAIDS Advisor Dr Edward Greene held a special engagement with the Honourable Duane Sands, Minister of Health, The Bahamas. The Minister and Senior officials of the Ministry of Health were briefed on the outcomes of the July 2017 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child Initiative and PANCAP’s regional priorities including the ‘Justice for All’ initiative and support to countries for operationalising their programmes to meet the UNAIDS 90-90-90 Targets.

For more updates on high-level advocacy by PANCAP, visit the Media Centre here.

The Third Meeting of the PANCAP Advisory Group on Resource Mobilisation was held from 11 – 12 July 2017 at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown Guyana. In attendance were Mr Dereck Springer, Director of PANCAP, Dr Edward Greene, Advisor, UNAIDS, Mr Desmond John, Director, Resource Mobilisation and Technical Assistance (RMTA), CARICOM Secretariat, Ms Carol Ayoung, Representative, Pan Caribbean Business Coalition (PCBC), Ms Lisa Tarantino, Southern & Eastern Caribbean Regional Programme Manager, Health Finance & Governance Project and Dr Eduard Beck, Senior Advisor Strategic Information and Policy, UNAIDS.

The following are the key decisions and next steps identified by the working group:

1. The group decided that there should be a revision of the 2014 Resource Mobilisation Strategy to align with current financial realities.

2. Members agreed to develop an operating plan for the resource mobilisation strategy.

3. The group also agreed to pursue activities proposed by the Twenty-Fifth Executive Board that are still relevant.

4. A decision was made to commence actively engaging with the private sector to leverage both financial and technical support for HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean.

5. The group also agreed to seek a meeting with private sector leaders at the Regional Private Sector Meeting.

6. The meeting concluded with a consensus on creating a framework for deeper collaboration on common interests and understanding with the private sector.

Stay updated on this and other PANCAP events and meetings on the ‘Events’ page. Click here to view now.

The redesigned PANCAP website was officially launched on Friday, July 7, 2017, at the CARICOM Secretariat, Georgetown Guyana. The website is meant to significantly enhance knowledge sharing among PANCAP members, development partners and other stakeholders. Here are the top 5 reasons to make the website your first choice for information and data on HIV and AIDS in the region:

1. The Data and Reports page offers concise information on HIV statistics from countries within the region garnered from trusted sources including UNAIDS and CARPHA. Click here.

2. The Document Library offers users the ability to upload their original case studies, strategies, best practices and other policy documents for dissemination to the entire Partnership. Only PANCAP members and partners will be allowed to upload documents by signing in with their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google accounts. Click here to upload your best practice or case study now.

3. PANCAP Voices is a series of specially created podcasts which feature audio clips and quotes from a diverse selection of PANCAP members on topics related to ‘Treat All’ and other HIV discussions. The concise audio clips offer just the right amount of information and inspired thinking to aid NAP Managers, clinicians and civil society leaders with their work implementation. Click here to listen now.

4. The webinars page highlights current and upcoming webinars by the PANCAP Coordinating Unit. If you missed a webinar simply click on the topic to access the powerpoint presentation and a video of the entire webinar. Click here to view PANCAP webinars now.

5. The PANCAP ‘Treat All’ Knowledge Suite is a significant feature of the redesigned website launched on Friday, July 21. The Knowledge Suite consists of three (3) products designed to guide National AIDS Programme Managers, clinicians and other technical experts with the implementation of an effective ‘Treat All’ programme. It consists of 1) a Standard Roadmap for the Implementation of ‘Treat All’, which offers guidance on the fundamental steps for effective incorporation of ‘Treat All’ into a country’s HIV and AIDS response. 2) The second product is the Barbados ‘Treat All’ Case Study, another tool for the implementation of ‘Treat All’. This provides the Partnership with a clear and concise illustration of the process utilised by the Government of Barbados, through the Ministry of Health, in the implementation of the successful Barbados ‘Treat All’ programme.

It was vital for the PANCAP Coordinating Unit to document the Barbados experience and share it with the Partnership since it is a best practice within the Region.

3) The third and final product is an animated video illustration, which highlights the effective actions required for the implementation of ‘Treat All’ and offers background information on the process. Click here for the Knowledge Suite.

PANCAP members are urged to make the redesigned website their homepage as new updates will be posted daily.