Risky behaviour, inter-generational s*x, and dwindling public-education campaigns are said to be factors contributing to a recent increase in HIV among Jamaica’s young people.
While figures for 2017 are not yet available, the 2016 Ministry Of Health HIV Epidemiology Report shows just over 2,000 newly diagnosed or reported HIV cases, up from 1, 222 new cases in 2015.
Of the new cases in 2016, twenty-three per cent were from Jamaicans in the 20 to 29 age group, with St James, St Catherine, Kingston, and St Andrew recording the highest numbers.
Andrea Campbell, director of health promotion and prevention at the National Family Planning Board, is not surprised that young Jamaicans are the high-risk group for HIV.
“They take more risks, have multiple partners, and little to no condom use. Transactional s*x is also on the increase, and we are not talking about commercial s*x now, where you have s*x for money. Transactional s*x where persons exchange s*x for gifts or favours – if you are sending me to school or paying my rent, that sort of thing,” said Campbell.
Executive Director of the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) Kandasi Levermore said that it is difficult to engage young people on the topic of s*x.
According to Levermore, the age of sexual consent and the age at which young persons can access clinical care are barriers to how JASL is able to intercede with that population.
“Based on the statistics that we are seeing, in terms of the age of sxual debut or the age of s*xual initiation, we are seeing where girls are starting to have s*x at 15, 16, and boys, like, 13, 14.
She argued that another contributing factor could be the lull in public-education campaigns aimed at preventing HIV.
“I think what is happening now is that we are in a stage where these messages are not running and persons think HIV is gone or the risk has minimised somehow. But the truth is it’s gone nowhere.”
Lot of young boys sleeping with big men for money, phone etc. These young boys are more lucky lucky than women. The boys don’t see their behavior as gay and then have sex with women. Mess
Wow. Hope those “IG HOTTIES” read this. Smh.
Damn please people use condom
is the likkle boys that sleeping with the big men under cover and then sleeping with females contributing to this..A lot of females do not know that them men are closet gay men that sleep with older men for money..Sugar daddies yes but for young boys..
ignorant pple stop talking about its the little boys!! HIV DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE. WITH ALL THESE IG HOES, AND PPLE NOT WANTING TO WORK, and these ladies thinking they can trick these men with money. so in return for selling their soul they mess their life for gud
Please stop blame young men bout dem licky licky (Yes it happens ) but young people on a whole don’t like condoms matter of fact even grown ass ppl don’t like condoms.
For a fact people stop use condom after having sex with the same person 3-4 times.
Young girls also need to learn how to negotiate before sex.. I.E. NO CONDOM NO SEX….either money or dem a DASH OUTT (like tifa )