Latin America progress and challenges in expanding access to HIV treatment highlighted by PAHO

A number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean - including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua and Uruguay - have made major progress in expanding the availability of antiretroviral treatment (ART) for people with HIV, saving the lives of thousands and preventing many new infections, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) reports in a series of country-specific data analyses published this week.

Several countries, however, face major “treatment gaps” that leave many people who need HIV medication without access to it. Overcoming these gaps will require improvements in early diagnosis, referrals, and monitoring of HIV patients, as well as greater efficiency in the procurement and use of ART, PAHO/WHO analysts say.

The series of fact sheets released this week provide data on the HIV epidemic in 32 countries and territories of the Americas. Details are provided on HIV prevalence, the percentage of HIV patients on ART, public spending on ART, HIV mortality, HIV-tuberculosis co-infections, and other key aspects of the epidemic.