HIV in Jamaica – Historical Timeline

HIV/AIDS became an issue in Jamaica in 1982 when its first case was reported. Currently, approximately 1.7 % of Jamaica’s adult population live with HIV/AIDS. This represents about 27,000 people.

The numbers continue to increase island wide, with the parishes of St. James and Kingston and St. Andrew, being the most seriously affected.

The National HIV/STI Programme’s priorities include:

• Providing access to prevention education
• Care, treatment and support for persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS
• Policy, advocacy, legal and human rights for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
• Monitoring, surveillance and evaluation to track the success of our efforts to control the epidemic
• Advocating for a strong multi-sectoral response to the epidemic

The programme’s approach emphasizes community intervention and face-to face communication to increase awareness, reduce individual risk of HIV infection and reduce stigmatization of persons living with HIV/AIDS and to promote safer sex practices. Through this approach, the National Programme has achieved a significant degree of success, particularly a high level of awareness and decline in the rates of Syphilis and other STIs. Increased condom availability and use also confirm the impact of the programme. One of its greatest challenges, however, is to have the population translate their awareness of safer sex into sustained behaviour change.