HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean Basin

Abstract

After Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean Basin has the second highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. The number of HIV cases in the region is likely to increase significantly over the next decade due to patterns of sexual behaviour, drug use, migration, and the sociocultural practices and legal and religious taboos which serve as barriers to safe sex, as well as stigma, shame, and denial which preclude many issues from being openly discussed and addressed. Studying the HIV epidemic in the Caribbean Basin is difficult, as efforts to synthesize information are often hampered by a lack of uniformity and availability of surveillance data in many parts of the region. In addition, behavioural surveillance is limited, and interventions addressing the cultural context of Caribbean populations are few in number. Overall, the geographic, political, cultural, and linguistic diversity of the Caribbean underscores the complexity of understanding broader regional patterns of HIV infection and developing and implementing targeted and appropriate responses.