The Government has allocated a budget of 288 million Jamaican dollars for the Jamaica HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control II project in 2010-2011. With funding support from the World Bank, the project aims to curb the spread of HIV, improve treatment, care and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS, and strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to respond to the epidemic. The Jamaica HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control II project was implemented in June 2008 and will continue to May 2012.

There are targets set on many fronts, such as to reduce the turnaround time for HIV testing, to complete computerization and networking for the National Public Health laboratory, and to reach at least one million persons through prevention outreach activities. The Ministry also plans to maintain HIV testing of 90 per cent antenatal clinic attendees in the public sector, and provide anti-retroviral drugs for prevention of mother to child transmission to 85 per cent of HIV infected pregnant women and at least 90 per cent of HIV-exposed infants

Up to January this year, 628 new condom outlets have been established, 1.7 million male and female condoms distributed for free and over 1,700 service deliverers trained on HIV/AIDS prevention. There have also been infrastructure upgrades to the National Public Health Laboratory. Mass media campaigns have also been sustained and many groups, including commercial sex workers and youths, have been reached through prevention interventions. Seventy-five per cent of persons living with HIV/AIDS on anti-retroviral drugs reported at least 90 per cent adherence.

For full article, see http://jis.gov.jm/MinHealth/html/20100326T100000-0500_23395_JIS_MINISTRY_OF_HEALTH_TO_SPEND__288M_ON_HIV_AIDS_CONTROL.asp

Image: Logo of the Jamaica National HIV/STI Control Programme from http://www.jamaica-nap.org/