And, switching subjects now, today is World AIDS Day and the National AIDS Commission observed it with a ceremonial event at the Belize Civic Centre followed by an information fair. Senior minister Dolores Balderamos Garcia told us why she decided to attend the event in support.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister
"Well today is world Aids day so it is an international event marking the importance of the world wide struggle and the continuing struggle against HIV and AIDS. I think many, many years of epidemic, maybe close to 40 years we have come into the epidemic, but it is still a challenge. Last year we had 240 new cases of HIV. So despite all our efforts we still have a challenge in Belize. The theme as we mentioned in the ceremony today was overcoming disruption and transforming the AIDS response because we really have to transform the AIDS response if we are going to be successful by 2030. The goal in 2030, by 2030 is what we call 95-95-95. 95% of people with HIV knowing their status, 95% of that number being on antiretroviral medication, and then the 3rd 95 is 95% of those who are living with HIV virally suppressed because we know that if you suppress the virus almost completely then you don't transmit the virus. So there is a lot of knowledge that we have and from the inception of our AIDS response in Belize 30 years ago, 25 years ago we have known the information and we are even better supplied and we are in a better position now to fight HIV and AIDS in terms of the technical aspects. We have anti retroviral medication, condoms and lubricants, the pre exposure prophylaxis medication, the post exposure prophylaxis medication, HIV self testing kits. In other words we have so many different tools in the tool kit the challenge is changing behavior and we do know that about two thirds of newly infected persons are young men mostly young men who have at risk behavior."
