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According to Jamaica’s Health
Minister Dr. Fenton Ferguson, while the Caribbean region has achieved a 42
percent reduction in AIDS deaths between 2005 and 2011, Jamaica has seen an
even greater reduction of up to 50 percent in the number of individuals who
have died from HIV/AIDS since the beginning of public access to antiretroviral
drugs (ARVs) in 2004.
In his address November 25 during
the World AIDS Day service at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Allman Town,
Kingston, Ferguson noted “333 deaths (197 males and 136 females) were reported
in 2010 compared with 665 in 2004. This represents a 50 percent decrease in
AIDS deaths since the inception of universal access to ARVs in 2004 and a 46
percent decrease when compared to 2000 (617).”
The church service marks the
official beginning of Jamaica’s observance of World AIDS Day, which will also
include an event in National Heroes’ Park in Kingston on November 30 that will
feature HIV and syphilis testing.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
