More men with HIV

Minister Donville Inniss wants men to come forward early to get their health checked. (FP)

Men have continued to outnumber women in the number of new cases of HIV diagnoses and AIDS related deaths.

Minister of Health Donville Inniss made this revelation yesterday at the launch of the Regional Testing Day (RTD) Barbados at the Scotiabank head office on Broad Street. Innnis said that according to the HIV surveillance Programme of the Ministry of Health there were 133 new cases in 2010 of which there were 89 males while in 2009 there were 111 new cases of which 58 were male.

Innis added that the men were being diagnosed at an older age of around 40 years as opposed to 32 years for females.

“This is significant and once again perhaps reflective of the fact that men have the worse health seeking behaviours, men invariably do not like to go to doctors, men often times delay seeing a health care professional until it is too late or until it is at the stage where they really feel they just will die,” the Minister said while urging men especially to come forward early and be tested.

The Regional testing day scheduled for June 24 is as a result of a partnership between the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS (CBMP), Scotiabank and the Ministry of Health to promote HIV testing. The initiative which started in 2008 in six Caribbean territories now involves 18 territories with over 8 000 people tested regionally last year. Operations Manager of the CBMP Michelle Yearwood said they are hoping to get to 20 territories involved with over 10 000 people tested regionally at the end of this year’s session.

Health Promotion Officer of the Ministry of Health’s HIV Programme Norma Bynoe said the Ministry of Health testing team will operate seven testing locations at the Scotiabank locations of Broad Street, Haggatt Hall, Black Rock, Warrens, Hastings, and Holetown with a further site at Independence Square to capitalize on the large number of people who pass through Bridgetown.

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Comment by Bombahdrop on May 30, 2011 at 2:59pm: This Disease has touched my life when i lost alot of my family members and friends i have a bestie who is also positive with Hiv so I take this s*** of a disease that wiping my peoples out to heart (seriously) I stay ontop of the news on the progress and it has gotten nowhere all i've heard thus far is about replacing ones cells with an implant cell transplant, and then there was another story about a man in Tanzania Africa who is said to have a medicine you drink and it suppose to cure you of not just Hiv/aids but other ailement/parasites also in that documentary its said that it wont work if you dont go to Africa and drink it there so you already know you cant order this medicine you have to actually go to Tanzania Africa for this medicine I don't know how true that is. but it sure feels good when have hope that someone will give our people the cure to their diseases

Comment by Bombahdrop on May 30, 2011 at 2:49pm: Now that's what i'm talking about patricia i always say the same thing people need to instead of having an aid walkathon have a march and demand the cure. Alot of People always saying the same thing that they have the cure and i say to that if they have a cure why are people marching for awareness when everyone should be Marching to Protest and demanding the cure be released. The problem still exist. These people had enough years three Generations now to be exact to get the cure out and still the people are settling for the excuses about them making money and that they are holding on to the cure. Yet people will fight for the smallest of s*** that aint even life threatening and its spreading around like wild fire. I would really like to see a fight between the people and the Government FAA the day of the Aids marathon or any given day to fight for our rights to the cure to save our lives, enough is enough.

Comment by patricia bryan on May 30, 2011 at 2:11pm: We need this cure fast like yesterday

Comment by JamRockLady on May 30, 2011 at 11:17am: Wrap it up gentlemen, wrap it up. No shame in being responsible. Being responsible can save your life. SMH.

Comment by Bombahdrop on May 29, 2011 at 11:35pm: It's up to ones self to take care of yourself You can't be out there Gambling your body with these deadly diseases going around and no cure. I'm almost sure there are diseases out there that have no name and yet to be brought to the surface. With that being said it appears people are not packing the infectious disease clinics in the same way huge amount of people are packing all other clinics like Plastic surgery,Fertility,Abortion etc etc SMH Beautifying yourself on the outside is not as important as whats inside your health comes first next to family.

Comment by Farrelann Fraser on May 29, 2011 at 12:30pm: take heed ppl...be safe and protect yourselves

Comment by Theresa Kemp on May 29, 2011 at 12:00pm: IT IS STRICTLEY CONFIDENTAL GENTALMAN.SO WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR. FOR HELL TO FREEZE OVER.YOU CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE AND MANY OTHERS LIFE.THAT IS WHY THEY INVENTED CONDOMS FOR SAFE SEX.IF YOU HAVE ANY TYPE OF DESEASE STOP THINK AND GO GET HELP.

AND LADIES AS WELL IF MEN DON'T WANT TO USE SAFE SEX THEN YOU SHOULD USE SAFE SEX THEY DO HAVE WOMAN CONDOMS AS WELL.SO LET'S SPEAK TO ALL THE WOMAN AS WELL & NOT ONLY MEN.AND THIS TOPIC SHOULD BE MORE PEOPLE WITH HIV.NOT ONLY DOES MEN HAVE IT BUT THEIR ARE PLENTY OF WOMAN AS WELL THAT HAVE IT.SO THEY SHOULD ATEP UP TO THE PLATE AS WELL.JAMROCK LADY UR RIGHT NO SHAME IN BEING RESPONSIBLE.BUT THIS SHOULD BE FOR THE WOMAN AS WELL.DEBORAH ROOLERSON UR RIGHT TO BUT HOW MANY OF THESE UNFOURTUNATE WOMAN WERE MARRIED,& TOO DAM SCARED TO GET TESTED IN THE 1ST PLACE.I WORK IN THE HEALTH FIELD & I SEE MANY WOMAN AS WELL THAT HAVE A BAD TRACK RECORD OF GETTING CHECK UP'S.SO THIS GOES OUT TO ALL MEN WOMAN AND TEENAGERS GO GET URSELF CHECKED.IT'S BETTER BEING SAFE THAN SORRY.

Comment by evolution on May 29, 2011 at 8:00am: @deborah rollerson Love you hitting on all cylinders sweetie. I cosign with you.

Comment by deborah rollerson on May 29, 2011 at 1:02am: How many of these unfortunate men were married, and too damn scared to get tested in the first place??????????? Men do have a bad track record of getting check ups.some a******* continue to jump into bed with people without the"sex talk" with potential lovers. Just chasing "ass" as usual.Some are even on the down low and cant admit they gay"I am not gay I just like having sex with men"Classic all just too classic.Men dont go to the dr until their "dicks" are falling off if then.I have had patients who tell me their men tell them some bullshit reason why they(women) have some std symptoms. Classic and f****** SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!