HIV AIDS A Predator in Paradise
Today the Caribbean has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Some Caribbean scholars are taking steps to educate the academy and national leaders about curbing the spread of the disease.
By B. Denise Hawkins
The Caribbean is legendary for the soothing rustle of blowing palm trees, sugar white beaches and breathtaking sunsets. It also is where about 2 percent of the region’s adult population is living with HIV/AIDS, and the incidence rate is accelerating at a pace second only to sub-Saharan Africa. The Dominican Republic and Haiti together account for 85 percent of the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in the Caribbean.
In the two decades since the first AIDS case was diagnosed in the Caribbean, the disease has exploded into a global pandemic and catapulted the region to an unwanted place.
