CAREC official: Let’s talk about sex in schools

Head of the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) Sexually Transmitted Infections section Dr Bilali Camara yesterday called for open discussion about sex and sex education in schools. He also said it was critical for the Church to be involved in the response to HIV/AIDS. Speaking on the first day of the UNICA/UWI and UNESCO conference at Hilton Hotel titled “HIV/AIDS: The Power of Education,” Dr Camara said HIV/AIDS is about sex and lifestyle. Dr Camara said culture, history and sexuality are critical to the issue. “If we are to tackle it we should not avoid the words: sex, sexuality and human reproduction.”

Providing a global and regional perspective on the epidemic, he said at the end of 2001, 40 million people were living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), 19 million of them are women and three million children. The Caribbean region had close to 500,000 PLWHAs. There were three million deaths worldwide at the end of 2001, with 1.1 million being women and 500,000 children. In TT, 5,000 people have died since 1983, when the virus was first identified. Two million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are HIV-positive. The majority are from Brazil. However, Dr Camara said the Caribbean is not doing well. There is a two to eight percent incidence of HIV/AIDS in the region with Guyana, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Suriname the most seriously affected. Although the Caribbean ranks second to Sub-Saharan Africa for the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS, Dr Camara said it ranked first in the western hemisphere and was also highest for rate of infection among women and children.

At the end of 2002, there were 23,000 AIDS cases in CAREC member-countries. Dr Camara said when under reporting is considered the “reality” is 35,000 cases.  The region is “struggling” with   a  60-75 percent AIDS fatality rate. He said no country is isolated from HIV/AIDS as migration has played a role in the spread of the epidemic. This is reinforced by the fact that the Caribbean has the same type of HIV as North America—HIV1. Dr Camara said there is “hope” as shown by declining cases in Bahamas and Barbados. He said success can be achieved by focusing on ABC— abstinence, being faithful and condom use. Care and treatment is an important element comprising the promotion of voluntary counselling/ testing, mother to child transmission programmes and antiretroviral treatment. Dr Camara also warned that social injustice will continue even with good prevention, care and treatment programmes if the issue of stigma and discrimination is not addressed. He said it is important to get the Church involved because in the Caribbean “if you don’t have the Church, you don’t have anybody.” In his discussion with Church officials, Dr Camara told them they could do the A and B and he will deal with C. The conference continues today with “The way forward: Strategic Priorities.”