By the start of 2010, Haiti had begun to make strides towards alleviating the high HIV prevalence plaguing the nation. However, in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake this past January, the country is in dire need of foreign aid to rebuild the HIV/AIDS program it once had, lest what progress had been made is lost.

Before the quake, Haiti had an adult HIV prevalence of 2.2 percent and a total of approximately 120,000 people living with HIV. These thousands accounted for 47 percent of all people living with HIV in the Caribbean, making Haiti the Caribbean nation most affected by HIV.

In 2006, in order to combat these alarming statistics, Haitian authorities, with the help of many organizations such as the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), released and implemented nationwide goals for HIV prevention, care, treatment, and support.

Following these objectives, 68 sites providing antiretroviral therapy and 117 sites aimed at preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission were established. In addition, a strong national network of people living with HIV and a national HIV monitoring system were created.

Estimates by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS in 2007 projected that the country was achieving 41% ART coverage. The latest reports estimate that there are 32,000 people living with HIV in Haiti and in need of ART.

However, the recent earthquake dealt an enormous blow to the national HIV/AIDS response.

The most detrimental effects of the earthquake are being experienced in the Nippes, Sud-Est, and Ouest regions of the country. These three areas unfortunately were also home to 68,000 people living with HIV in Haiti, or 57 percent of the total affected population.

Additionally, these regions were home to 55 percent of the ART sites, 49 percent of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission sites, and 66 percent of new tuberculosis patients diagnosed with the disease.

Though make-shift clinics have sprung up in tents to help alleviate this crisis, The Ministry of Health estimates that 40 percent or less of the 24,000 people who were on treatment prior to the quake have accessed them.

The once strong networks among the population of those living with HIV in Haiti have been weakened, and many HIV service organizations are now operating less, if at all.
Also, the one million or so Haitians currently living in temporary camps are thought to be at even increased risk of infection due to poorer living conditions and decreased access to HIV services and care.

Thus, the disaster has severely crippled the national HIV/AIDS efforts in Haiti, as confirmed by UNAIDS field reports. Such an interruption could be disastrous if the proper action is not taken soon.

“It is unprecedented to have such a huge national disaster in a country with a high HIV prevalence,” said Michael Sidibé, the Executive Director of UNAIDS.

UNAIDS has released a report detailing seven priority areas, including the rebuilding of health systems, the protection of displaced people from HIV, the rebuilding of the HIV community networks, and the support of protection measures and prevention programs.

It is estimated that Haiti’s original annual HIV/AIDS budget of 132 million dollars will need to be increased by 70 million to counteract the damage wreaked in the last few weeks. To achieve this, the UN says that efforts of international proportions will be necessary.

For more on the earthquake crisis in Haiti and its effects on the national HIV/AIDS efforts, please see the past AIDS Beacon article. Additional information can be found in the UNAIDS report and the recent UN News Centre article.