Fighting HIV/AIDS in Honduras

SPOTLIGHT ON THE LOCAL PROGRAMS

Honduras has experienced a rapid increase in HIV infections and accounts for nearly 60 percent of all cases reported in the Central American region. Roughly 80 percent of all reported cases are attributable to heterosexual transmission, and studies indicate that between 1 and 4 percent of pregnant women have been infected with the virus. Prevalence of 8 to 10 percent has been found in higher-risk populations, including commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men and prisoners. A high prevalence rate has also been identified among the Garifuna ethnic group.

A grant from the Global Fund of US$20 million for an integrated program to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria will contribute to the reduction of the incidence of HIV among the most vulnerable populations: commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, institutionalized persons, prisoners, the Garifuna ethnic group and young people. As part of the national plan supported by the government of Honduras, the Pan American Health Organization, local offices of the United Nations Development Program and the Global Fund, Honduras has embarked upon a comprehensive program that includes both prevention and treatment activities, with the overarching goal of reducing by 25 percent the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Honduras by 2007.

Mass-media campaigns which encourage behavior change to prevent HIV transmission will target youth, men who have sex with men and commercial sex workers. Community outreach activities will supplement these campaigns to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS throughout the country. In addition, community health-care workers and physicians will be trained in the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, which will expand antiretroviral treatment to all those currently on the waiting list. Honduras expects to increase the number of people on antiretrovirals to 2,000 after the first year and to 4,000 by the end of 2004.

Improving infrastructure and capacity is another goal of the program, which will bolster the main HIV/AIDS treatment centers in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula and open new ones in Choluteca and La Ceiba. Funding will also support the training of legal personnel in human rights law with respect to people living with HIV/AIDS. The Global Fund will back the National Human Rights Commission’s efforts to protect and promote the rights of those affected by the disease and to reduce stigmatization and discrimination. Funding will also enable the design and implementation of a system for monitoring and reporting human rights abuses across the country.

Within months of receiving its first HIV/AIDS disbursement of US$2 million from the Global Fund, the government of Honduras added more than 400 individu- als to its antiretroviral program, and it continues to enroll new patients at an average of 50 per week.