Haiti Special Coordinator
"This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the AMHE, the beginning of decades of engagement for a better Haiti. Later today, which is World AIDS Day, your organization will pay tribute to seven individuals with long and distinguished records in the fight against that disease. It is a privilege to be part of this event, and I thank you for that.
I would like to give a brief overview of the efforts of the U.S. government, in partnership with Haitians, to implement health and development programs in Haiti, and to underscore the valuable contribution you in the Diaspora make toward a healthier Haiti. I will try to leave time for a few questions following my remarks.
Just two days ago, speaking in recognition of Worlds AIDS Day, Secretary of State Clinton noted that “We will promote a global effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation, because this must be a shared responsibility.” Donor nations, country partners, multilateral organizations, the private sector, civil society – including faith-based organizations – all have a role to play in the HIV/AIDS response. Launched in 2003, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is the largest effort by any nation to combat a single disease. PEPFAR progress is measured by lives improved and saved around the world – including in Haiti.
As the members of the AMHE well know, Haiti continues to present unique challenges to the successful implementation of health and other development programs in the face of the 2010 earthquake, the cholera outbreak, and the limited, though growing, capacity of Haitian institutions.
Statistics bear this out. Haiti has an HIV prevalence rate of 1.9 percent and a population of 10 million. Although low in comparison to many PEPFAR countries, this prevalence rate is the highest in the Americas, where the average is less than 1 percent. Haiti’s HIV/AIDS epidemic is generalized, with higher prevalence rates in major cities and driven by most at risk populations – such as commercial sex workers and men having sex with men – and the social conditions of women and youth. Of Haiti’s estimated 135,000 HIV infected individuals, the Ministry of Health estimates that 56 percent of individuals with immediate need for antiretroviral, or ARV, therapy receive it; 20 percent of the general population has access to counseling and testing; and 61 percent of pregnant women get tested for HIV. There is a high level of stigmatization towards HIV positive individuals in the country, especially at the community level.
Nevertheless, through our efforts, we can also point to more positive numbers in Haiti:
41,000 individuals with HIV/AIDS were receiving antiretroviral treatment as of September 30, 2012;
128,000 eligible adults and children were provided with a minimum of one care service in FY 2012;
44,400 orphans and vulnerable children were served by an orphan and vulnerable children program in FY 2012; and, finally
626,000 individuals had received testing and counseling services for HIV and received their test results in FY 2012.
