An Examination of the Prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the Behaviour of HIV/AIDS Infected Jamaicans, 1998-2017
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Abstract
Introduction: Jamaica's HIV/AIDS cases have noticeably fluctuated. This noticeable fluctuation warrants further evaluation of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, as it is important to understand the trends over time.
Objectives: This study seeks to 1) evaluate and highlight the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Jamaica between 1998-2017, (2) identify the risk behaviours that contribute to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, and (3) investigate any disparities in HIV/AIDS between the sexual practices.
Methods: The current study employed secondary time-series data for 20 years (1998 - 2017). Data collection was from the HIV Epidemiology Report for the Ministry of Health and the National HIV/STI Programme of Jamaica. Data collation and analysis took two weeks using Microsoft Excel and IBM Statistical Packages.
Findings: Jamaica had 1,197 new HIV cases in 2017, with males = 621 and females = 576). The risk for contracting HIV/AIDS is higher among people living in cities than in rural areas. STI, having multiple sexual partners and transactional sex are among the top ways individuals contract HIV in Jamaica. More heterosexual cases (of 900, 62.78% were females and 37.22% were males) than homosexual or bisexual cases. Of the 82 homosexual cases, 100% were male. The findings show 5-year cyclical fluctuations in HIV/AIDS prevalence in Jamaica.
Conclusion: The significant decrease in cases between 2013 and 2017 indicated that people understand the seriousness of HIV/AIDS and are proactive in disease control. The major risk behaviours such as STIs and multiple sexual partners influenced the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica in 2017. Of importance to document is there are 5-year cyclical fluctuations in HIV/AIDS prevalence in Jamaica, and policies should be instituted to deal with the pending rise in cases for the next five years (i.e., 2020-2025).