HGP Nightly News – Guyana’s HIV incidence rate is declining, and Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony credits a sustained, two-pronged strategy of prevention and treatment for the turnaround. Speaking during the Consideration of Estimates and Expenditures in the National Assembly, Dr Anthony detailed the ministry’s intensified efforts to curb new infections while ensuring those already living with HIV receive effective care.
On the prevention front, the ministry has deployed widespread public education campaigns alongside targeted biomedical interventions. Among the most significant is the provision of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), an antiretroviral medication offered to individuals who consider themselves at risk of contracting HIV. Additionally, the ministry distributes five million condoms annually nationwide, maintaining a steady supply of basic prevention tools alongside more advanced pharmaceutical options.
The minister placed equal emphasis on managing the health of those already living with HIV. Approximately 7,800 patients are currently receiving antiretroviral therapy (ARVs), with the majority achieving viral suppression. “If you manage people who already are infected with HIV, and you get them to be virally suppressed, it means that they cannot transmit to somebody else,” Dr Anthony explained. “So what we have been doing is working to ensure that most of our patients are virally suppressed.” To support this effort, the ministry has procured specialised laboratory equipment to conduct viral load testing, enabling consistent monitoring of patients’ response to treatment.
HIV services are now available across the country, including in hinterland regions. Primary healthcare physicians have been trained to manage HIV cases, with more complex cases referred to specialists when necessary. The HIV programme also serves as an entry point for screening and treating other sexually transmitted infections, including syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia.
Dr Anthony reflected on the profound shift in outcomes since the early days of the epidemic. “Before, HIV was like a death sentence. So when people get it after a couple of years, you see they progress to AIDS. Now we don’t see that. Most of our patients are living.” The statement underscores a medical reality that public health campaigns have worked to entrench: HIV, when properly managed, is no longer a terminal diagnosis but a chronic, manageable condition.
Despite measurable progress, Dr Anthony stressed the importance of remaining vigilant. The fight against HIV, he indicated, is far from over, and the government’s commitment to reducing new infections remains a priority. With prevention tools reaching millions and treatment programmes keeping thousands healthy and non-infectious, Guyana’s HIV response offers a model of what sustained public health investment can achieve, even in the face of a once-feared epidemic.
