Across the Atlantic in the Caribbean, Jamaican grandmothers have been co-opted in an effort to improve treatment for HIV positive children. These older women are a vital part of the paediatric treatment programme in Western Jamaica, and under guidance provide invaluable care and support for their grandchildren and great grandchildren living with HIV, particularly after the deaths of their mothers and fathers due to AIDS. But, there is also a need to ensure social, economic and psychological support for these aging caregivers, something which is ignored by policy makers and programme planners. The UNGASS 2008 indicators on care, support and treatment emphasise access of care and support only to vulnerable groups....More»
LACK OF FOOD WORSENS AIDS EPIDEMIC IN JAMAICA
With so much focus in the fight against HIV and AIDS trained on providing easy access to medicines, one crucial aspect is often ignored: adequate, nutritious food for those living with HIV. It’s a vicious cycle (lack of food can render medication useless, and hasten the onset of AIDS). In Jamaica this cycle is triggered by poverty....More»
