Jamaica challenges UN HIV data

Jamaica's Ministry of Health has declared that it is not able to verify data in a report presented by a United Nations official which show HIV infections in Jamaica are on the increase.

Dr. Edward Greene, UN Special Envoy on HIV to the Caribbean, said findings in the 2016 UNAIDS Gap report state that HIV infections are on the rise in the region, with the major increases occurring in Cuba and Jamaica.

When RJR News contacted Dr. Winston De La Haye, Jamaica’s Chief Medical Officer, however, raised concerns about the report's conclusions.

“I’ve gone to the books and brought up our (HIV) prevalence from 2000 to 2015… but all the age groups I’m looking at, broken down by gender, women versus men, in none of these have I seen anything confirming what’s written as it relates to Jamaica’s prevalence,” he revealed.

The UN official also reported that less than 50 per cent of the people in the region living with AIDS are receiving treatment.

Cuba has the highest coverage with 67 per cent and Jamaica the lowest with 32 per cent, it claimed.