May 1st: Workers Celebrate Labor Day in Guyana
May 2, 2008
Amidst the marches of the more prominent labor unions in Georgetown yesterday, workers found the occasion to be an ideal setting to voice their concerns over the HIV/AIDS epidemic that is now a visible part of Guyanese life. In efforts to create awareness, one of the placards noted that “Aids is no Joke.” (Guyana Chronicle, 05/02/2008) Indeed that is the case but if read into it; one could assume that Aids was probably thought of as a tale in Guyana as in most parts of the world during the earlier years. Now that the disease has found its’ way within the cornerstones of the earth, due to man’s nomadic capabilities, HIV/AIDS has become a global problem and responsibility.
HIV/AIDS in Guyana
765,283: population of Guyana (July 2005 estimates)
12,000: Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005
2.4%: Estimated percentage of adults (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005
60%: Estimated percentage of HIV cases that occurred among women (ages 15-49) by the end of 2005
Less than 1,000: Estimated number of children (ages 0-15) living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005
1,200: Estimated number of deaths due to AIDS during 2005
Sources
UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. May 2006
CIA World Factbook 2005
Although the above statistics are dated 2005, the data indicates that the number is quite large in ratio comparison since the population is approximately ¾ of a million and as suggested by the laborers yesterday, HIV/AIDS has quite an impact on daily life for it to be a featured subject in the rally.
What is currently being done on an international scale?
Center for Disease Control (CDC) HIV/AIDS Activities in Guyana Prevention:
•Collaborating with the National Blood Transfusion Service, Pan American Health Organization, and the Guyana medical community to improve the safety of the nation’s blood supply and institutionalize blood banking systems and transfusion practices.
•Supporting a behavior change project based on role modeling that includes a radio serial drama, community reinforcement activities, and life skills modules in public secondary schools.
•Supporting the Ministry of Health in maintaining the national HIV website..
Care and Treatment:
•Supporting services for TB/HIV patients by collaborating with partners to support the Guyana National TB Control Program, which provides care and treatment for all TB patients through six clinics operating in the more populous regions of Guyana.
•Helping the Government of Guyana with its goal of national access to prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services. This expansion of services will be facilitated through collaboration with USAID, the Ministry of Health, regional and district health authorities, health facility staff, people living with HIV/AIDS, and other community stakeholders.
•Strengthening the infrastructure of labor and delivery wards at the Guyana Public Hospital Corporation and other regional hospitals.
•Strengthening the Ministry of Health’s capacity to monitor and evaluate the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission program.
•Facilitating referrals to ART services.
•Supporting treatment services in all of Guyana’s 10 ART sites and providing crucial human resource and technical support to the national AIDS program.
Taken From: http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/GAP/countries/Guyana/moreinfo.html
The United State President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS in Guyana
HIV/AIDS in Guyana
Since 1987, when the first HIV case was reported, there has been a progressive increase in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Guyana. Today, Guyana has the second highest HIV prevalence rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2005, the national HIV prevalence rate in Guyana among adults ages 15 to 49 was estimated at 2.4 percent. The epidemic is particularly serious in urban areas. HIV is primarily spread through heterosexual contact, which is reported in more than 80 percent of cases of HIV infection. Approximately 21 percent of the cases have been attributed to transmission among men who have sex with men. Other at-risk populations include miners and loggers, women in prostitution, prisoners, indigenous populations, and other mobile populations.2 HIV infection levels among men and women seeking treatment for other sexually transmitted infections also have also been high (12 to 15 percent).1
Challenges to Emergency Plan Implementation
HIV/AIDS has become the number one cause of death in Guyana among people ages 25 to 44, the most economically active population. As these individuals become sick and die, their families struggle to cope emotionally and economically. Guyana is deeply polarized along racial/ethnic lines, affecting all aspects of politics and society. Roughly 35 percent of the population lives below the poverty level. The greatest weakness of the Guyanese economy is its relative isolation from outside markets, primarily as a consequence of poor transportation infrastructure. Basic infrastructure is crumbling, a problem that is expected to persist given the ruggedness of the terrain and low investment in maintenance.
Critical PEPFAR Interventions for HIV/AIDS Prevention:
•In FY 2006, supported an increase in the number of service providers and facilities for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission at antenatal care facilities from eight to 45.
•Collaborated with the Ministry of Health to establish of a network of School Health Clubs across nine regions in secondary schools that promote healthy lifestyles and HIV prevention among club members and their classmates.
•Established a network for the regional distribution of condoms through non-traditional outlets, which resulted in increased accessibility of condoms for most-at-risk populations.
•Supported the training of waste handlers, supervisors, and physicians in medical injection safety, waste management, and rational injection use.
Taken From here.
Andrew
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- SASOD’s comments on UNGASS Country Progress Report for Guyana
- Must Read! AIDS in the Caribbean: The second-most affected region in the world.
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- Abortion Rights in Guyana
- Bahamas: CARICOM Secretariat comments on Sex differences in Government Participation (International Women’s Day 3/7/08)
- Earth Day 2008 and its impact on developing Caribbean Countries.
- Lend Us Your Healing Hand.
- Guyana to Host Carifesta X 2008: What are the implications of such an undertaking?
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One Response to “May 1st: Workers Celebrate Labor Day in Guyana”
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Well, you gotta help yourself first before anyone will help you. Education is the first place to start - it will help reduce infections significantly. I don’t know what programs the government of Guyana currently has if any as I don’t live in Guyana, but I hope they would start some education programs on major health issues affecting its people.