Caribbean News
15,000 new cases of HIV infections in the Caribbean, a 22% jump and PAHO explains why
Garfield Ekon
Staff Writer
December 2, 2024 – In the context of World AIDS Day (December 1), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has launched the “Better with PrEP” campaign, with the goal of expanding access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Latin America and the Caribbean. The campaign, which places human rights at the center of the HIV response, seeks to reduce stigma and promote HIV prevention in populations at higher risk of acquiring it.
World AIDS Day is an opportunity to reflect on the progress and challenges of the HIV response. In Latin America, the number of AIDS-related deaths decreased by 28% between 2010 and 2023, while in the Caribbean the reduction has been 57%. However, new HIV infections have shown different trends during this period: in Latin America, new cases increased by 9%, reaching approximately 120,000 infections in 2023, while in the Caribbean, infections decreased by 22%, totaling 15,000 cases.
“The increase in new HIV infections since 2010 in Latin America, especially in key populations such as men who have sex with men, transgender women, and sex workers, shows us that we cannot let our guard down,” according to Director of PAHO, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, 
emphasising the urgent need to implement more accessible and effective prevention strategies.
The “Better with PrEP” campaign seeks to increase awareness of PrEP, a highly effective medication for preventing HIV when taken consistently. While this preventive intervention is proving to be crucial for controlling HIV in the region, its adoption remains limited.
At the end of 2024, 24 of 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean had adopted PrEP as a public health policy, and while more than 160,000 people benefit from its use, efforts continue to reach the goal of 2.3 million in the region.
“Today, we call on all countries in the region to transform the reality of HIV with inclusive and expanded PrEP policies. The elimination of HIV is possible, but only if we act with courage and commitment,” added Dr. Barbosa.
In an effort to reach populations at higher risk, PAHO has strengthened its collaboration with Grindr, the social network aimed at the LGBTQI+ community. This alliance will permit the dissemination of key information about PrEP and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through the application, which has millions of users in Latin America and the Caribbean.
PrEP, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2015, is a preventive option for people who do not live with HIV but are at significant risk of contracting it. By taking a daily pill, the risk of contracting HIV during unprotected exposure can be reduced by more than 90%.
World AIDS Day is a reminder that much remains to be done to end HIV in the region. PAHO reiterates its commitment to universal access to health and to the implementation of combined prevention, which includes PrEP, PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), condoms, and testing.
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
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