The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads — Regional Profile for the Caribbean

A new report by UNAIDS shows the world is at a critical moment that will determine whether world leaders meet their commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The report, ‘The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads’, brings together new data and case studies which demonstrate that the decisions and policy choices taken by world leaders this year will decide the fate of millions of lives and whether the world’s deadliest pandemic is overcome.

While the end of AIDS is within our grasp, the data show the world is off track. Of the 39.9 million people living with HIV globally, 9.3 million, nearly a quarter, are not receiving life-saving treatment. Consequently, a person dies from AIDS-related causes every minute. In the Caribbean, there has been substantial progress against HIV since 2010, but the reduction in the annual number of new HIV infections slowed down over the past five years.