Sheena Gayle, Freelance Writer

Western Bureau:

St James continues to dominate the rest of island in terms of the rate of HIV/AIDS infection per 100,000 people. This is contained in the latest report issued by the Ministry of Health's National HIV/STI Prevention & Control Programme.

The report, which covered the period January-June 2007, shows that urbanised parishes continue to display the highest cumulative number of AIDS cases - St James, 1,285 AIDS cases per 100,000 persons, and Kingston and St Andrew, 716 cases per 100,000 persons. Jamaica has reported an alarming 12,063 AIDS cases between January 1982 and June 2007.

Dr Sharlene Jarrett, monitoring and evaluation officer for the National HIV/STI Control and Prevention Programme, revealed that "the number of deaths has been reduced in the comparable period of January - June 2006 and January - June 2007 but it is through the prevention and treatment efforts by the Ministry of Health where this is possible".

High Urban case rates

However, she expressed concern that both Kingston and St Andrew and St James continue to have high case rates of HIV/AIDS.

In an effort to combat the deadly disease in the western region, Regional HIV Prevention Technical Officer, Cheryl Belcher-Peart, explained that "as a part of the activities for Safer Sex Week (being celebrated this week), we are getting the various communities out so that we can build their capacities to use a condom and the importance of condom usage. In addition, we will be providing voluntary counselling and testing in order to identify any high-risk behaviour and how we can reduce these risks".

According to the report done for the January - June 2007 period, approximately 65 per cent of all reported AIDS cases in Jamaica are in the 20-44-year-old age group and 85 per cent of all reported AIDS cases are between 20 and 60 years old. The main risk factors fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic are multiple sex partners, history of STIs, crack/cocaine use, and sex with prostitutes.

In partnership with the Jamaica Adolescent Solutions (JA/STYLE), St James will see sensitisation programmes at the Montego Bay Community College and at the Civic Centre on condom usage in keeping with the theme 'Condom a mus', know yu status'.