Caribbean Community Participates in World AIDS Day Surveillance

Caribbean countries have joined the international community to monitor World AIDS Day on December 1.

This year, World AIDS Day will be held under the theme of “World Solidarity and Sharing Responsibilities.”

Irwin LaRocque, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the opportunity would provide an opportunity to look back on the global response to the HIV and AIDS epidemics by remembering the lives lost in the last 40 years.

“We celebrate the achievements of the past few years and pledge to work in a more comprehensive and innovative way next year to end the AIDS epidemic, which remains a public health threat.

“This year’s World AIDS Day has been observed behind a coronavirus pandemic. These are difficult times for all of us. COVID-19 not only directly causes high morbidity and mortality, but also. It disrupts health-critical systems and programs that address HIV and other global health priorities, “says La Rocque.

He said the service disruption associated with COVID-19 is affecting global, regional and national efforts to end the epidemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic threatens access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. In a study conducted by PANCAP (the Pan-Caribbean Partnership for HIV and AIDS) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this Numerous confusions in these areas have been highlighted in the regional national program. “

The region’s best civil servants, with strategies to meet these needs, could see a resurgence of HIV that could threaten public health responses to COVID-19.

“COVID-19 has shown that during a pandemic, no one is safe until everyone is safe. For us to succeed, leaving people behind is not an option, therefore. We need to maintain our response to HIV and accelerate our actions to respond to HIV. “

LaRocque said it is important to end the COVID-19 pandemic and HIV / AIDS epidemic by eliminating stigma and discrimination, putting people at the center and addressing human rights and gender-responsive approaches. I did.

He highlighted the need for global solidarity and shared responsibility to show support for people living with HIV: “Ending the epidemic requires solidarity, cooperation, support, and individual action. Is. “

Meanwhile, Dr. Rosmond Adams, director of PANCAP, said the theme of World AIDS Day was “The extraordinary efforts of public health champions to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic while working to maintain the benefits of the HIV response. Is effectively captured.

He also clearly shows the type of health solidarity people need to live in the safe and healthy Caribbean Sea, where healthcare providers working in HIV are called to the battlefield to respond to COVID-19. Said.

“The region-wide national AIDS program and civil society continue to be challenged, especially in the area of ​​HIV testing, as a blockade, and other COVID-19 protocols prevent people from accessing services, but the region As we have proved in the past, it is a characteristic of the Caribbean people to face all challenges through collaboration and innovation. “

Adams said public health experts across the region are using strategic cooperation to respond to COVID-19 and protect the benefits of HIV response.

In Belize, he said Enrique Romero, executive director of the National AIDS Commission (NAC), used partnerships with social workers and other interested parties to assess the needs of people living with HIV. It was.

According to Adams, the assessment reveals that many people living with HIV desperately need food to continue taking their medication.

“Enrique takes action and within a few days works vigorously with the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation and Poverty Mitigation (Berrys) to promote support for these individuals through the Belize Government’s Food Assistance Program. Did.

The director of PANCAP said that loss of employment, lack of essential livelihood support and depletion of nutritional supply are some of the major problems that impair compliance with HIV drugs. COVID-19 exacerbated these situations.

Adams is in Jamaica, where Kandasi Levermore, Secretary-General of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL), solicits donations and writes a small grant proposal to provide clients with nutritional support, care packages, and disinfectant items. He said he met the needs of his clients. Financial support for transportation to participate in clinic visits. Such actions in the face of so many adversities may have saved many lives and protected the benefits of HIV response in the region.

In Barbados, Dr. Nastasia Lambalan and her team of Equals Barbados arranged for months of drug delivery, provided care through telemedicine, and provided food obstacles raised from donations and external grants. He said he had donated.

Adams said these are just a few examples of Caribbean public health champions recognizing their common responsibilities and taking decisive action to ensure the continuation of HIV services during COVID-19. It was.

He said the pandemic had thrown the national HIV program and civil society into a situation that demanded their best.

CMC

The post in which CARICOM participates in the World AIDS Day observation was first published in Caribbean News.