The National AIDS Commission Website is
http://www.nacbelize.org/.I don't recall any stats being given on AIDS infection in Belize by myself or anyone else on this thread. I did state a fact, presented by the President of the San Pedro AIDS Commission regarding the status of patients seeking assistance from us at this time. As far as I know, grants given to specific organisations for specific groups or purposes are only allowed to be used for those purposes. I am saddened that people are questioning the fact that heterosexual infection is a huge problem world wide and deeply concerned that this attitude is what contributes to its prevalence. Worldwide statistics, which anyone can google, show that HIV/AIDS is much more prevalent in the heterosexual community. Ignorance and stereotypes kill.
If you are interested in statistics about HIV/AIDS in Belize, some stats are available here:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/wom1637.doc.htmhere:
http://www.worldywca.org/en/Events/AIDS-Conference/AIDS-2008/AIDS-2008-Women-s-Networking-Zonehere:
http://www.who.int/hiv/HIVCP_BLZ.pdfhere:
http://www.ifrc.org/docs/Appeals/annual08/Belizecountrysheet_FINAL.pdfhere:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/wom1637.doc.htmThis is an interesting extract from another document:
"Heterosexual transmission. The epidemic in the Caribbean region, particularly in the
countries already reporting high rates of prevalence, is fueled by heterosexual sex. At the
beginning of the epidemic in the region, more men than women were infected, but this is
quickly changing. In Haiti and the Dominican Republic, HIV/AIDS affects men and women
equally, with a 1:1 male-to-female ratio of infections. In other countries, this ratio is now
above 2 to1: 3.6:1 in Dominica, 3.3:1 in Barbados, 2.8:1 in Antigua, and 2.4:1 in Trinidad.
In 1985 the ratio for these countries was estimated to be approximately 4:1. Self-reported
heterosexual contact is now acknowledged as the main route of HIV transmission and
accounts for the majority of HIV infections and AIDS cases in the Caribbean, representing
64% of all AIDS cases in CAREC member countries.
Infection among women and vertical transmission. Of particular concern is the
dramatic and constant increase of HIV/AIDS among Caribbean women. The region now
has one of the highest rates of new AIDS cases among women in the sub-regions of the
Western Hemisphere. Women are at greater risk of contracting HIV in both biological and
social terms, as they are both physically more vulnerable and often have little or no power to
negotiate safer sex practices with their male partners. As the number of HIV infected
women grows, the number of children born with HIV infection also increases. Vertical
(mother-to-child) transmission follows the increase in the number of cases among women,
and today represents 6% of all reported cases. Though various low-cost, effective
treatments are now available for the prevention of transmission from mother to child, in the
absence of such intervention, approximately 25-30% of children born to HIV-infected
mothers will be infected with the virus. As prevention of transmission from mother to child
becomes more economically feasible, reexamination of prevention priorities and allocation
of resources at national level will be required."
http://www.caricom.org/jsp/projects/hiv-aidsstrategicframework.pdf