HIV/AIDS in Guyana
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Approximately 1.6% of adults in Guyana are living with HIV/AIDS, and Guyana has had HIV prevalence rates that are relatively high for the Caribbean.[1][2] Globally, Guyana had the 20th highest HIV prevalence rate compared to other countries in 2023.[3] As of 2024, it is estimated that 11,000 adults and children are living with HIV in Guyana.[1] The country has experienced both a percentage increase in new HIV infections and AIDS related deaths since 2010.[1]
Guyana is pursuing 95-95-95 targets, for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their status, for 95% of these people to be on treatment, and for 95% of people on treatment to be virally suppressed.[4] At the end of 2023, Guyana achieved 94%-72%-87% of these three targets.[4][5]
Prevalence
Since the first case of AIDS was reported in Guyana in 1987, there was a steady increase in its prevalence through 2007.[6] Though Guyana saw a slight decrease in HIV infections from 2006 to 2011, new infections increased by 19% from 2010 to 2024.[7][8]
Previously, AIDS was the leading cause of death among adults aged 25-44, and in 2002, HIV/AIDS was the second leading cause of death of Guyanese adults, primarily aged 20-30.[6] In the early 2000s, Guyana was one of five Latin American countries where the HIV epidemic had become generalized.[9] In 2013, Guyana had the third-highest prevalence of HIV in Caribbean countries.[2]
The number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Guyana was reduced to 1% of the total population in 2009–2010, complying with the UNAIDS target of 1.3%. A national report on HIV/AIDS for 2009 reveals that over 105,000 HIV/AIDS tests were conducted in Guyana.[10]
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HIV prevalence has remained persistent among homosexual men, men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people, and sex workers.[11] Young women, and young people generally, are also particularly impacted by HIV, making education, testing, and early diagnosis for treatment of ongoing importance.[11]
In its 2019 HIV Prevention Guidelines for Guyana, USAID identified miners and loggers as priority populations.[12] Loggers in Guyana are a significant segment of the migrant worker population. With forests generally found in isolated areas, there can be a lack of regular access to both condoms and correct knowledge of how HIV is transmitted, which increases vulnerability to infection.[13]
National response
There has been international engagement to mitigate HIV/AIDS in Guyana. Guyana was one of 15 focus countries of the United States President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) announced in 2003 by President George W. Bush.[6][14] The focus countries collectively represented roughly 50% of HIV infections worldwide, and the Emergency Plan was the largest international health initiative by one nation to address a single disease.[6]
Additional entities engaged include USAID, UNAIDS, and the World Bank.[15][16][17][18]
As of 2021, Guyana had a multi-year, costed national strategy to respond to HIV, along with continued PEPFAR funding support.[19][20]
In parallel, health agencies and organizations have reduced funding to Guyana as it is no longer listed as a High Prevalence Country for HIV/AIDS.[21]