What was the situation in Haiti prior to the earthquake?
• Prevalence: Haiti has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the hemisphere (2.2%)2 ; more than 120,000 persons are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Haiti.2 Approximately 31,132 were receiving antiretroviral treatment at the end of September, 2009.3 (there were a total of 48 treatment sites providing ARV treatment in the country; 36 PEFPAR sites and 17 Global Fund Sites (GFS). HIV sentinel surveillance carried out in pregnant women in 2006/7 at 17 sites found a median prevalence of 4.4% (range 0.8-11.8%; urban 5.9%, rural 2.7%).4 A reported four (4) HIV-infected infants are born each day, among the 8,000 HIV- infected women who become pregnant each year. Rates of infection are higher in commercial sex workers (CSW) and men who have sex with other men (MSM) (~5%). HIV is highly stigmatized in Haiti. • Surveillance and Diagnostic Capacity: An active electronic HIV/AIDS reporting system, in place before the earthquake, is currently the backbone of public health surveillance
