Eastern Caribbean
The Eastern Caribbean region covers an archipelago curving from Puerto Rico to the coast of Venezuela and encompasses islands with a wide range of cultures, ecosystems and levels of economic development. All of the region’s countries share a common concern: the effect of HIV/AIDS on their communities.
IntraHealth is joining the International HIV/AIDS Alliance to increase access to HIV/AIDS services in four island nations in this region—St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados. IntraHealth will train community health workers in HIV counseling and testing, and strengthen referral networks between the local health care systems and community-based organizations serving at-risk populations. IntraHealth will also provide technical assistance to strengthen palliative care service provision. The initiative is funded by USAID.
Selected health statistics for Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, (WHO, accessed December 2007, except as noted below):
Antigua and Barbuda (pop. 81,000):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 70, 75
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 12
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 2.5%*
Maternal mortality: 2 or fewer per year
Barbados (pop. 270,000):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 71, 78
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 12
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 2.4%*
Maternal mortality: 2 or fewer per year
St. Kitts and Nevis (pop. 43,000):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 69, 72
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 20
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: <1%*
Maternal mortality : 2 or fewer per year
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (pop. 119,000):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 66, 74
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 20
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: <1%*
Maternal mortality: 2 or fewer per year
*Note: 2007 statistics from the WHO-supported Caribbean Epidemiology Center.