Haiti: A Ray of Hope in the Fight Against AIDS

"Finally, some good news in the fight against HIV in the Americas, and most surprisingly, it's coming from Haiti, one of the countries hardest hit by the epidemic.

"Progress in battling the epidemic in Haiti is due in large part to the work of people like [Haitian physician Jean] Pape and Paul Farmer, a US physician who has dedicated his life to the struggle against AIDS on this Caribbean island. Farmer created the organization Partners in Health and its HIV Equity Initiative, which is dedicated to preventing and treating AIDS in the context of primary care; improving care for tuberculosis; optimizing treatment for [STDs]; and emphasizing women's health.

"So far more than 400 workers have been trained to administer free antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients in the community, and more than 1,500 patients are currently receiving treatment for AIDS. As Farmer explained on [the PBS program] 'Frontline,' 'I think that's Haiti's lesson. If you can integrate prevention and care and make sure there's better supervision of patients with the help of community health workers, I think other countries with major AIDS epidemics are going to see good results.'

"Pape confirms Farmer's view. 'Look at Haiti,' he says. 'This country is in total disarray and yet we are containing one of the most devastating diseases, which is AIDS.'

"According to UN data, 6.1 percent of the adult population was HIV positive in 2001, and AIDS has become the top cause of death among sexually active youth and adults. Thanks to prevention and control efforts, however, the percentage of infected persons had declined to 3.8 percent by late 2005.

"In addition, the number of sexually transmitted infections, which facilitate the transmission of HIV, also decreased markedly during this same period.

"The advances in fighting the epidemic in Haiti show that although much remains to be done to achieve better results, a committed leadership, good planning, parallel attention to prevention and care, and community involvement can successfully control this terrible epidemic, even under the worst of circumstances."

Chelala is an international public health consultant and author of "AIDS: A Modern Epidemic," published by the Pan American Health Organization.

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