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Nearly 1,000 People In Saint Lucia Living With HIV

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There are nearly 1,000 people in Saint Lucia living with HIV, with a decrease in 2023 cases compared to the previous year.

The disclosure came from Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sharon Belmar-George.

“There are currently 992 persons living with HIV in Saint Lucia, of which 57% are male,” the Chief Medical Officer said.

Delivering a 2023 health summary, Belmar-George revealed that Saint Lucia diagnosed 26 new HIV cases that year.

She explained that the figure represented a 32% decrease from 2022. 

Sixty-five percent of the new HIV cases were male.

Saint Lucia recorded a spike in Leprosy with eleven new cases – a 120% increase from 2020 to 2023.

Belmar-George spoke of a draft national action plan to eliminate the disease.

She said the plan includes:

  • An educational public health campaign.
  • Intensive contact tracing in the affected communities.
  • Re-training health care workers towards early detection and diagnosis.
  • Increased testing.
  • More aggressive and consistent treatment.  

The Chief Medical Officer’s complete health 2023 health summary addressing other diseases, including COVID-19, appears below:

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14 COMMENTS

  1. Multiply that number by 100. So it suggest that almost 10000 people are undiagnosed on the island out of a population of just 180000. It means that almost 6% of the population maybe affected by this. Shocking,

  2. @Anonymous, such a stupid comment from you, people infected with HIV can barely survive a decade without treatment and in that time go through a lot. Also 100 x 1000 equals ?

  3. I’m not surprised by the report..
    If the women and men are out of control like stray dogs, what do we expect? I wonder how many married people took the deadly sickness home?
    Asking for a friend?

  4. This is a crime. Why is it a crime? it is simple! HIV is known to the world as a disease transmitted sexually that can kill. These humans who are infected are given a free ticket to go infect more innocent people regardless of safe sex practice or not, to go into the public and kill people. That is a crime because similarly you don’t know who carries a concealed weapon until they carry out there action, similarly with a HIV infected person who can do same. 1000 people is booked on record, it is safe to say that perhaps an additional 50-100 more are roaming our streets freely. These people should be quarantine, another example to justify why it is criminal is similarly to a sex offender. You don’t know until someone becomes a victim. So we must pay tax to harbor criminals what does that tells you?

  5. Folk sleeping with Tom, Dick and Harry, Mary, Martha, Rebecca (aka whoever, whomever, wherever) – some married are involved in ongoing adulterous relationship (those you are with are also sleeping around with others), some others who also engage sexually with multiple partners etc etc etc etc. – prostitutes both male and female alike all over St. Lucia……aka spreading the virus like wild fire. No sexual encounter on any level is worth your life (totally not worth it)…a moment’s pleasure can be a one way ticket to your demise…think about it.

    Thanks for providing the data – however, as a health care professional I do believe you have many many many many more who have not yet been diagnosed or even tested —-and continue to sleep around all over the island. Some of the Lucians call everything eepweedun and are also very reckless sexually – Godspeed.

  6. Some Lucians sleep around with anyone, anything at anytime at any place – it’s called russian roulette. Honestly, I believe that your 992 persons is just the tip of the iceberg – there are many many many many more. P

  7. @anonymous – that is facts, a KFC, Churches or Chinese food Lucian women becomes a close clip. Squeeze the top the bottom open. We become like a terrorist, bomb everywhere.

  8. @ Oh Really, go check yourself. How many people can 1 person infect before they die? Many. And the cycle continues. HIV is rampant all over St Lucia. 1000 known cases is a lot for a small population like st lucia. It means the spread is fast. No medical authority concerned about the health of the island will focus so much on the 1000 they know. They are worried about the several thousands walking among the population unaware they have it and infecting people . With more and more getting it. People just sleep around in this place. No care for the consequences. Meanwhile husband and wife dying within months of each other, young partners dying. The doctors don’t even check HIV. But meanwhile the young population just dying and they call it Mal. Could it be our young are dying from malproptay or exposure to a malprop?

  9. so why isnt there any contact tracing for h.i.v. Why isnt there PREP when it comes to combating h.i.v
    are doctors ,nurses doing follow ups

  10. @Tell me, the original comment said 100 x 1000, if you think more than half of Saint Lucians have HIV then you are delusional. You don’t need to explain to me that people are having reckless and unprotected sex. I am not saying that there are only 1000 HIV positive persons in Saint Lucia, obviously the number is higher. Its up to people to protect themselves either way, HIV is everywhere.

  11. Lucians never heard of condoms apparently. And not only having sex with other Lucians & Caribbean people but UK, USA & European Tourists too. There are free testing clinics in SL – just a needle prick to find out but of course those loose men & women don’t want to know because that would spoil their ‘fun’. And it’s not only HIV they’re spreading but many other STIs too. All of you self indulgent and selfish people just use protection – if not for yourself at least for any innocent, unknowing partners!

  12. I have news for u all. st Lucia is among the top 50 countries in the world for sexually transmitted diseases. If you look at the whole America’s, I think it find itself at 6 position. My gosh, what is the medical establishment doing to address this? What programmes of sensitisation is the government putting out to limit this. Lucian’s get so nasty now. Men with men. Women with women and they are all bisexual now. MY GOSH PUT A HAND! GOOGLE COUNTRIES WITH HIGHEST Std rate. I saw st Lucia top on Tiktok for STD and checked the facts myself. We finish. You all too Jamet and salop in that land. Medical fraternity do you all job to educate and safeguard the population.

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