HIV

St. Kitts – Nevis Continues HIV / AIDS Testing

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
May 06, 2008 (SKNIS)

After a successful debut at the St. Paul’s Community Centre, the National AIDS Secretariat continues its convenient and confidential, community HIV Testing at the Cayon Primary School on Tuesday, May 13.

The second Community HIV Testing Day will commence at 4:00 p.m. and conclude at 9:00 p.m.

Ms. Lucine Pemberton, Health Educator and Counsellor as well as Coordinator of the Community HIV Testing Day, said that the upcoming event caters to residents of Keys and Cayon.  She reminded the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service that the service was requested by members of the general public, and it caters to residents who work outside of the Basseterre area, or have limited mobility.

Ms. Pemberton explained that just like the HIV Testing Days held in Basseterre, nurses and professional health personnel along with trained Voluntary Counselling and Testing Providers will be on hand, first to counsel then administer the test.  The Community HIV Testing Day coordinator was also pleased to reveal that test results should be returned approximately one hour after testing, as once again, AVALON Medical Laboratory will be on site to analyze samples.

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Nevis Health Minister Calls For Public’s Support

Nevis Health Minister - Hensley Daniel

Nevis Health Minister – Hensley Daniel

Charlestown, Nevis
April 18, 2008

Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Hensley Daniel urged the Nevis public to give full support to the programmes of the HIV/AIDS Unit on the island given the social and economic cost of the disease.
 
The Minister was at the time addressing the situating with regard to HIV/AIDS on Nevis during a sitting of the Nevis Island Assembly in Charlestown on April 15, 2008.
 
He said the disease required continue efforts at the school, family and community level and as such it was of absolute importance that he brought the matter to the attention of the general public, given the impact HIV/AIDS had on the population and it’s potential to destroy the social and economic fabric of the society.
 
“The challenge we have in this small country is that the strong socio cultural norms continue to drive the epidemic. These norms continue to allow for the early sexual debut and multi sexual partners. As such the HIV/AIDS Unit has developed the ABC approach ““ Abstinence, behaviour change and Condom Use.

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UK Gives US$1.2 Million Grant To PANCAP

PANCAP Meeting Members

PANCAP Meeting Members
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, Saint Kitts – Nevis
April 17, 2008 (CUOPM)

The United Kingdom Department of International Development (DFID) is pumping US$1.2 million into the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP).

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Wednesday between St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) Representative, Jane Armstrong, during the Opening Ceremony of the 10th Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino.

The grant of £600,000 (about US$1.2 million) to PANCAP is to support its core budget until June 2009.

“This contribution by DFID represents the first practical commitment to the principle of pooled funding that PANCAP has advocated for some time now; and we applaud DFID for this pioneering effort,” said Prime Minister Douglas when he delivered the feature address.

Dr. Douglas used the opportunity to place on record his personal thanks and those of his colleague Prime Ministers to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the European Union (EU), German Development Bank, The Global Fund, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), United States Government and the World Bank for the funding support provided through PANCAP since its birth in 2001.

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St. Kitts – Nevis Design Contest For HIV Pin

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis April 10, 2008 (SKNIS) The National Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (NACHA) is inviting all primary and high school students of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to take part in a pin design competition.  …

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Local Stakeholders Excited About Female Condom

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 03, 2008 (SKNIS)

Stakeholders in St. Kitts – Nevis are excited by the strategy of the National AIDS Secretariat to promote usage of the FC2 female condom.

Earlier this week, a workshop at the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) provided participants with information about the female condom and how it will help to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.

SKNIS spoke to some of the participants to get their thoughts on the workshop and the female condom. Vercelette Wilson explained that she enjoyed the session. “It was very informative and now we know that women have a choice,” she stated, adding that the increased sturdiness of the condom is a source of comfort as it is not easily broken.

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