Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login
AIDS in Americas

Last reviewed: 14-12-2008
A "March of Silence" in Mexico City in 2005 in support of people with HIV.<BR> REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar
A "March of Silence" in Mexico City in 2005 in support of people with HIV.
REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar
Nearly 1.7 million people are living with HIV in Latin America, and 230,000 in the Caribbean. The latter has the second highest infection rate in the world - 1.1 percent - after sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

  • Latin America has the developing world's highest treatment coverage.

    In Latin America and the Caribbean 62 percent of those in need were receiving anti-retroviral drugs in December 2007.

    Brazil has the largest number of people living with HIV in Latin America, but its prevalence rate is just 0.6 percent, one of the lowest in the world. The country's prevention, testing and treatment programmes have been held up as a global model.

    In the Caribbean, Cuba has managed to contain the epidemic, but using controversial methods including quarantining and forced testing which have been criticised by experts.

    The Caribbean's pandemic is mainly fuelled by the sex industry, according to UNAIDS. A smaller factor is unsafe sex between men.

    In some Latin American countries - Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru - the main driver behind the epidemic is unprotected sex between men who have sex with men. Infection rates among sex workers vary widely.

    KEY FACTS


    Latin America
    Number with HIV/AIDS in 2007 1.7 million (UNAIDS, 2008)
    AIDS deaths in 2007 63,000 (UNAIDS, 2008)
    Country with highest prevalence rate Guyana (2.5 percent) (UNAIDS 2008)
    Caribbean
    Number with HIV/AIDS in 2007 230,000 (UNAIDS, 2008)
    AIDS deaths in 2007 14,000 (UNAIDS, 2008)
    Countries with highest number of people with HIV Haiti and Dominican Republic (UNAIDS, 2008)
    Country with lowest percentage of people with HIV/AIDS Cuba (0.1 percent) (UNAIDS 2008)

    Unlike some other content on this website, the written content in this article may be republished or redistributed by any means free of charge. Any use of photographs and graphics on this website is expressly prohibited. You must check whether written content contained in other articles on this website may be republished or redistributed without the express permission of Reuters or the relevant third party provider.

    • Related articles

    Breaking stories
     ANGOLA: Esperança Mutamba, "I'm living this double life" (1 minute ago)

    GLOBAL: Mismatch between HIV spending and need (1 minute ago)

    AlertNet insight
     Post-conflict areas vulnerable to HIV/AIDS-report (1 minute ago)

    Aid agency news feed
     Marilyn, Colombian Red Cross volunteer: "I am so happy when I see them change their behaviour" (1 minute ago)

    Blogs
     Hitler stars in AIDS awareness video (1 minute ago)


    AlertNet for journalists

    AlertNet for journalists is a set of tools and services designed to make life easier for reporters, fact-checkers and editors when covering humanitarian emergencies.
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-12-01T032112Z_01_POY0246_RTRIDSP_2_POY_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/POY0246.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-12-01T023934Z_01_LIM15_RTRIDSP_2_PERU_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM15.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-12-01T023914Z_01_LIM14_RTRIDSP_2_PERU_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM14.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-12-01T023849Z_01_LIM17_RTRIDSP_2_PERU_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM17.htm
    Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-12-01T023527Z_01_LIM16_RTRIDSP_2_PERU_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/LIM16.htm

    RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2009 - An aerial view of a deforested Amazonian jungle is seen close to Maraba, in Brazil's central state of Para in this May 3, 2009 ...


    More pictures | Galleries

    * Denotes mandatory entry      Rate this item *  
    • Currently 4/5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5


    Name: *     Email: * 
    I am: *     


    Comments:

    Enter the code shown on the left *


    Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

    Last updated:Tue Dec 1 05:04:48 2009