Caribbean Nations Need to Ramp Up HIV/AIDS Programs, Says United Nations

Caribbean countries need to increase their HIV/AIDS care, treatment, education and prevention programs, said Karen Sealy, head of the UNAIDS Caribbean office recently at the United States Chiefs of Mission Conference of HIV/AIDS.

Sealy said 38 people in the region die every day due to AIDS-related causes and there are 55 new cases of HIV in the Caribbean daily, according to the Caribbean Media Corporation. Prostitutes and men who have sexual relations with other men are among the high-risk groups, she said, adding that drug users are also contracting HIV/AIDS in higher numbers. An estimated 230,000 people in the region are living with HIV/AIDS and 14,000 people died from AIDS-related causes last year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.