Although HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in the Caribbean, Jamaica has so far avoided a widespread epidemic. With a population of approximately 2.6 million, about 20,000 to 22,000 inhabitants are living with HIV/AIDS, giving it has a prevalence of 1.2 percent, a figure which is not nearly as high as that of neighbors Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Although HIV/AIDS is a growing problem in the Caribbean, Jamaica has so far avoided a widespread epidemic. With a population of approximately 2.6 million, about 20,000 to 22,000 inhabitants are living with HIV/AIDS, giving it has a prevalence of 1.2 percent, a figure which is not nearly as high as that of neighbors Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

As in most other Caribbean countries, HIV/AIDS in Jamaica has spread to the general population, fuelled by commercial sex workers. Thirty-five percent of all reported HIV/AIDS cases in Jamaica are found in those aged from 30 to 39 years of age and twenty percent of all cases are in those aged 20 to 29.

In 2003, the government of Jamaica success- fully applied for Global Fund support to scale up existing efforts in the fight against the pan- demic and to expand the national response to HIV/AIDS in the country.

With the support of the Global Fund and other partners, the country has been able to launch more effective treat- ment efforts and has expanded its prevention programs.

The Global Fund grant, worth more than US$ 23 million over five years, targets spe- cific communities such as youth, commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men, all of this underpinned by a drive to establish a national HIV/AIDS policy that reduces stigma

and discrimination throughout society. Jamaica recognizes the crucial role that access to antiretroviral therapy also plays in effective HIV prevention.

Only when treatment and prevention efforts are integrated can the stigma of HIV infection be lessened and people be persuaded to come forward for testing. The Principal Recipient of the grant, the Jamaican Ministry of Health, uses a significant portion of the grant to provide antiretroviral treatment to people living with HIV. Up until now, close to 1,600 adults and children with advanced HIV have received antiretroviral therapy and this number continues to grow.

In order to provide these important services to people living with HIV, Jamaica has now opened sixty treatment centers with the help of Global Fund resources. Besides offering sex educa- tion and counseling to urban residents, sex work- ers and nightclub dancers, the centers also give targeted, multi-disciplinary education and treatment training programs for health care providers.

The country is working hard to expand its voluntary counseling and prevention program. More and more people are encouraged to undergo HIV tests, and a large number of condoms and lubricants are being distributed to vulnerable populations.

Grant money is also financing a mass media campaign in print and audiovisual media to pro- mote abstinence or delaying the initiation of sexual activity, to increase condom use and to promote voluntary counseling and testing. To improve knowledge among Jamaican youth about reproductive health practices and the risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in partic- ular, the country established a hotline for youth, where trained counselors answer telephone calls and give information and advice related to rela- tions, sex and STIs.

Upon request, the hotline also provides referrals to youth-oriented organi- zations for services ranging from face-to-face counseling to voluntary counseling and testing. Jamaica is battling to stem the growth of its AIDS epidemic.

The resources provided by the Global Fund assist in this fight and provide hope that Jamaica can halt and reverse the epi- demic, given time and support.

The Caribbean nations are best known for their sugar-white beaches, majestic cascading waterfalls, tropical flora and breathtakingly beautiful mountain peaks. However, the region also has a rate of HIV infection second only to Sub-Sharan Africa.