Caricom leaders have agreed that HIV services have to be more fully integrated into the healthcare system, including pre and post-natal care, in order to eliminate mother-to-child transmission and to reduce stigma against the most at-risk groups, at the 33rd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.
The resolution comes at a critical time as many countries face severe budget constraints as international donor funding steadily dwindles, UNAIDS said in a press release. In order to get the most value from diminishing funds, country programmes must prioritise prevention in children and address the needs of the most vulnerable groups.
The meeting acknowledged the importance of programmes to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, noting that several countries are on track to meet a 2015 elimination target of 95 percent coverage for antenatal care, testing for HIV and skilled attendance at birth, in addition to a transmission rate of below two percent.
“Still, this form of HIV infection accounts for between eight and ten percent of transmissions in the Caribbean,” and in order to sustainably eliminate new transmissions HIV services have to be more fully integrated into the healthcare system, including pre and post-natal care. “There must be concerted measures to improve confidentiality within the healthcare setting so that women’s anxiety about real or perceived discrimination is reduced, Women should be empowered to access timely antenatal care, testing, life-saving treatment and follow-up services,” the release said.
“We are sitting on a success,” Dr Ernest Massiah, Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) Caribbean Regional Support Team, was quoted as saying by UNAIDS. He added that most of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) nations are close to reaching elimination targets—an indication that the region can achieve results in the HIV response.
While cautioning against complacency, the Heads of Government also urged that efforts be stepped-up with regard to public awareness and interventions targeted at populations most at-risk. “It is time for us to be honest about vulnerable populations including men who have sex with men, sex workers, women and young people.
We need to have changes in laws and programmes to allow these populations to get the services they need to protect themselves and their partners and to have all the rights of citizenship,” Massiah said. He asserted that it is not viable to continue to pump money into generic prevention efforts targeted to the general population.
The meeting also discussed the vulnerability of young people and noted the low age of sexual initiation and the high rates of child sexual abuse that are prevailing in the Caribbean. The Heads agreed that there needs to be “a holistic approach to the issue including parenting education, public sensitisation, and legislative reform to better protect children.” They also emphasised the importance of dealing appropriately with both perpetrators and those who fail to report abuse.
The 23rd Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) on Children and Youth, which started here yesterday, is focusing on violence against children, including sexual abuse. UNAIDS will also address adolescent health issues at the two-day meeting.
