http://pixgood.com/hiv-awareness-slogans.html

Why should I care about HIV/AIDS?

- Because it's here, it may even be beside you.
-A person can live with the disease and look healthy and active like a regular HIV negative person.

HIV/AIDS in Haiti after earthquake


“After the earthquake in 2010, sexual violence in Haiti went through the roof. The most vulnerable people, children and women, were more than ever exposed to rape and abuse. It was really, really bad. Men would grab them in their tents, just like that,” says Marie Sonie Brizon, a 23 year-old woman who lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.


However: 

Haitian infection rates dropped from 6.2 percent to 3.1 percent among expectant mothers in the last 15 years. Researchers recently switched to a new methodology that tests all adults, which puts Haiti's official rate at 2.2 percent, according to UNAIDS

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/31755066/ns/health-aids/t/haiti-surprise-good-news-about-aids/#.VUjaBKHD8dU
http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/haiti/

How the HIV virus travelled from Haiti to the US 

The chart above shows;
Black (Africa) - HIV-1 ancestor in Africa.
Green (Haiti) - Virus migrates from Africa to Haiti ~1966.
Yellow (US) - Virus migrates from Haiti to the US ~1969 then rapidly disperses in worldwide.



HIV went directly from Africa to Haiti, then spread to the United States and much of the rest of the world beginning around 1969, suggests an international team of researchers. The findings settle a key debate on the history and transmission route of the deadly virus, the scientists say.
Even before HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, Haiti's role in the disease epidemic had been hotly debated.
When AIDS was officially recognized in 1981 in the U.S., for instance, the unusually high prevalence of the disease in Haitian immigrants fueled speculation that the Caribbean island was the source of the mysterious illness.

Photo credit: http://www.favaca.org/?q=node/96



Sacred Sports Foundation is a nonprofit organization in St. Lucia dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, social inclusion, drug avoidance, and HIV/AIDS awareness while mentoring in leadership

http://www.avert.org/caribbean-hiv-aids-statistics.htm



- The above chart shows HIV/AIDS statistics in 2011.

http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/factsheet/2014/20140716_FactSheet_en.pdf

HIV/AIDS IN GUYANA- FIGHTING STIGMA & DISCRIMINATION

Sandra, a woman from Guyana tells her story about being HIV positive. The stigma and discrimination she face because of her status and the neglect from her family and friends,

INVISIBLE: Children living with HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago

"Invisible" focuses on the story of a woman named Veronica* and her two children. Both the mother and her young daughter are HIV-positive and face the bitter effects of discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago.

http://the-aids-pandemic.blogspot.com/2008/02/stigmatization-of-homosexuals-and.html

Hated to Death: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/11/15/hated-death-0


 HIV/AIDS is on an increase in Jamaica with an estimated 1.5 percent of people infected. However, the stigma of Jamaican homosexuals with HIV/AIDS which are enforced by law enforcement and the public has caused HIV positive homosexuals to be reluctant about seeking help for their illness. The link between HIV/AIDS and homosexuality in Jamaica has also resulted in HIV prevention programs and services to be negatively targeted within the community. People infected with HIV/AIDS in Jamaica also face difficulties receiving treatment in health facilities because health workers discriminate against them, provide poor care, talk to them in demeaning manners and even denying them treatment.

Walking on the Other Side: Three voices from Jamaica's Gay Community (1...

“With HIV, because it’s seen as a gay thing, there’s a lot of shame. If someone finds out they are positive, they’re afraid that everyone will assume they are gay, so it’s best to keep it to yourself.”

 - HIV Positive man, Jamaica

What is HIV?

HIV is a virus. Viruses such as HIV cannot grow or reproduce on their own, they need to infect the cells of a living organism in order to replicate (make new copies of themselves). The human immune system usually finds and kills viruses fairly quickly, but HIV attacks the immune system itself.

It cannot live for long outside of the body. HIV can directly enter the body via the bloodstream, or mucous membranes such as:

• vagina - via the lining of the vagina, cervix or womb
• penis -  via the urethra or inside of foreskin
• anus - via the lining which is very delicate

HIV enters and attacks the cells of the immune system itself - the very thing that would normally kill off a virus. Once HIV is present in the body of an infected person, it is found in their:

• semen (cum) or pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)
• vaginal fluid
• breast milk
• blood (including menstrual blood)
• rectal secretions/mucosa.

There are four main routes of HIV transmission:

• unprotected vaginal or anal or oral sex (oral sex carries a very small risk)
• sharing unsterilized injecting drug equipment
• from mother-to-baby in pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding
• infected blood transfusions or medical procedures, although most countries have processes in place to prevent this.

Who is at risk?

Anybody can be at risk of HIV if infected fluids of an HIV-positive person enters their body. HIV does not exclusively affect certain groups of people.

Myths!

HIV cannot be transmitted by:

• Surfaces - HIV cannot be transmitted by contact with toilet seats, eating utensils, musical instruments, hugs or handshakes.
• Air – Breathing the same air as someone living with HIV does not transmit HIV. Coughing, sneezing or spitting cannot transmit HIV either.
• Kissing - Saliva contains very small amounts of HIV. The risk is neglifible unless both partners have large open sores in their mouth or bleeding gums.
• Insect bites - Insects such as mosquitoes don't transmit HIV because they do not inject blood when they bite.
• Sterile needles - Sterilised or new needles and syringes are safe from HIV transmission. Do not share used needles.
• Water - HIV cannot survive in water, so you are free from HIV transmission in swimming pools, baths or shower areas.

http://www.avert.org/hiv.htm

What is AIDS?

AIDS stands for: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

AIDS is a medical condition. A person is diagnosed with AIDS when their immune system is too weak to fight off infections. As HIV progressively damages these cells, the body becomes more vulnerable to infections, which it will have difficulty in fighting off. It is at the point of very advanced HIV infection that a person is said to have AIDS. If left untreated, it can take around ten years before HIV has damaged the immune system enough for AIDS to develop.

http://www.avert.org/aids.htm

HIV AIDS Stigma and Discrimination

The harsh reality for the individuals living with HIV/AIDS especially younger victims, is that they are often ridiculed, neglected and scorned because of their status.

HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean

Hey you, are you from the Caribbean or affiliated with Caribbean in any way?

Most of these individuals contracted the disease through having unprotected sex. However, the younger population of HIV positive individuals were born with the deadly disease. In the Caribbean, the major cause of the spreading of this disease is because of poor infrastructures, low resources and also poverty. Another major issue is that most of these island fail to educate its people about the disease, creating a stigma and discrimination towards individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community_organs/aids.jsp?menu=cob

This blog was made possible by: http://pulitzercenter.org/hivaids-caribbean