The Changing face of HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a region with similarities and important disparities. In recent years LAC has witnessed achievements, with HIV prevalence rates relatively stable for LA and decreasing for the Caribbean. However average values hide differences. General population HIV prevalence in LAC is 0.4% in average. In the Caribbean there are fewer new HIV infections but HIV prevalence among adults exceeds 1% in several countries. It is estimated that 31% of adults living with HIV in LA and 52% of adults in the Caribbean are women. Unprotected sex is the main route of HIV transmission in LAC. Men who have sex with men and transgender women are the populations with the highest prevalence (10.6% and 17.7% respectively); however other key populations such as female sex workers (4.9%), drug users (range 1%-49.7% for intravenous drug users). Prisoners and indigenous populations are also important. LAC has the highest anti-retroviral treatment coverage of any low- and middle-income region in the world, but women and children are less likely than men to receive treatment. There is an important pending agenda to address the gaps in information, prevention and care for HIV in LAC.

Caracterização e perfil epidemiológico das pessoas que vivem com hiv/aids

“…A study that analyzed the prevalence, incidence and trends of HIV infection in Latin America and the Caribbean pointed out that lack of information, HIV prevention and care are still important issues to be solved. 8 In Brazil, the AIDS epidemic is a relevant public health problem that affects heterogeneously different segments of the population, affecting different regions, according to some socio-demographic characteristics. 3 People living with HIV/AIDS in the study population were predominantly white male, 20 to 39 years of age, single and eight to 11 years of age, unlike literature , whose results were predominantly female and mean age was 17.6.…”

Perfil dos casos de Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida em um estado do nordeste do Brasil

“…[9][10][11] Apesar do evidente avanço da doença entre os indivíduos heterossexuais, estudo internacional aponta elevada prevalência da infecção pelo HIV entre homens que fazem sexo com outros homens e transexuais (10,6% e 17,7% respectivamente) em comparação à população geral (entre 0,4% a 1%). 1 Apesar de ainda haver mais casos de AIDS entre os homens do que entre as mulheres, essa diferença tem diminuído ao longo dos anos, indicando o avanço do processo de feminização do HIV, no qual o número de mulheres infectadas aumenta rapidamente entre as heterossexuais casadas, com parceiro único e não-usuárias de drogas, sendo a relação sexual a principal via de transmissão do HIV para essas mulheres. 12 Na América Latina, 31% dos adultos infectados pelo HIV são mulheres e nos países do Caribe esse número chega a 52%.…”

Social-ecological factors associated with selling sex among men who have sex with men in Jamaica: results from a cross-sectional tablet-based survey

“…Yet MSM who sell sex have largely been overlooked in epidemiological and social HIV research. MSM are a key population in the global HIV pandemic [8,9], including in Caribbean and Latin American countries [10–12]. In Jamaica, MSM remain at elevated risk for HIV acquisition with a reported HIV prevalence between 28% and 32% [2,12] in comparison with a general population prevalence of 1.7% (95% CI: 1.4–2.0) among reproductive aged adults [13,14].…”