Jamaica

Key Results in 2022-2023

A newly launched national action plan, community-based service delivery and innovative platforms all contributed to the scaling up of integrated HIV prevention, testing and sexual and reproductive health services among adolescents and young people.
Community-led programming improved treatment adherence and retention in care among pregnant women, further preventing vertical transmission of HIV.
New practical guides on mental health and capacity building of professionals improved quality of care for people from the LGBTQI+ community.
Civil society organizations, government agencies and people living with HIV strengthened their capacities to advocate for human rights, monitor progress and create a stigma-free environment.

Joint Programme Results

With the Joint Programme’s strategic support, Jamaica continued to expand HIV prevention services among young people and key populations in 2022-2023. A new national action plan for HIV prevention among adolescents and youth was developed to expand comprehensive HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services through the delivery of integrated and innovative programmes, including life skills education, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing. This plan was developed with the active participation of 50 adolescents and young people, including people from the LGBTQI+ community (UNICEF). A total of 3000 HIV self-testing kits were procured to improve access to HIV testing services in the country (WHO).

A newly established Teen Hub offered 10 000 consultations and HIV testing services to adolescents and young people aged 16-24 years in St. Thomas— an area affected by high rates of sexual violence and adolescent pregnancies. In addition, a digital chatbot for HIV prevention and sexual health information was launched initially attracting over 600 users, predominantly girls aged 13-18 years, seeking information on puberty and prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (UNICEF). Besides, the training curricula for pre-service and in-service teachers and school leaders was updated to improve their knowledge of gender-based violence and violence against women and girls, through funding from the Spotlight initiative (UNFPA). In addition, a minimum initial service package for sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian crises readiness assessment was conducted and will provide the foundation for the integration of sexual and reproductive health and HIV services into disaster risk reduction and management (UNFPA). 

HIV incidence per 1000 uninfected populations

Source: AIDSinfo

AIDS mortality per 1000 population

Source: AIDSinfo

Progress towards 95-95-95 targets

Source: AIDSinfo

A pilot peer support programme, led by youth peer ambassadors, improved adherence to treatment and retention among adolescents living with HIV in two treatment sites in Kingston and St Catherine (UNICEF). Moreover, a total of 75 vulnerable people, including people living with HIV, were sensitized on mental health, positive living, mpox and COVID-19 prevention and vaccines, social protection and support services through a health and wellness fair supported by the Joint Programme (UNDP).

Technical support and guidance from the Joint Programme reinforced Jamaica’s efforts to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV and syphilis, including through the collection and analysis of data and development of a validation report. Jamaica is recommended for validation, with official certification expected in 2024 (WHO) [*note: in May 2024, Jamaica attained WHO certification for eliminating vertical transmission of HIV and syphilis]. To further support this progress, the Jamaica Community of Positive Women (JCW+) leveraged the mother2mother approach and community-led programmes, through their Mentor Mom initiative, to improve treatment adherence and retention in care, and address gender-based violence (UNFPA).

In line with the 2021 National Transgender Health Strategy, the newly revised Jamaica Community Mental Health Handbook for Practitioners and Mental Health Guide for LGBTQI+ Jamaicans, produced by Equality for All Foundation Jamaica Limited, and the related capacity building of psychologists will continue to improve mental health and wellbeing of people who are part of the LGBTQI+ community (UNFPA, UNAIDS Secretariat).

The new Enabling Environment for Human Rights Monitoring Dashboard strengthened reporting on Jamaica’s progress towards reducing stigma and discrimination. With the help of this platform, more than 10 civil society organizations and government agencies are better equipped to collect, aggregate and analyse data, monitor the progress and promote the human rights of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including people living with HIV. In addition, 27 people living with HIV were empowered to advocate for decriminalization of HIV while 14 social service providers had orientation on fostering a stigma-free environment for people from the LGBTQI+ community (UNDP, UNAIDS Secretariat). Finally, the analysis of income security among people living with HIV, led and funded by the Joint Programme, revealed critical insights into existing social protection mechanisms. It showed inadequate public awareness of social protection programmes among this group and the need to enhance eligibility criteria for greater efficacy. Building on these findings, nearly 1500 users were reached on various social media platforms and promotion materials were widely disseminated as part of a social protection awareness creation and communication strategy (UN Women).