Brian Tuck

In the midst of all the news on Haiti following the quake, the political instability and public health concerns, we look at how the quake has affected the country's way to cope with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

A UNAIDS report has mentioned that the UN emergency response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic was poorly handled following the quake. The conditions for people to transmit the virus have increased and fewer than 40% of those living with HIV/AIDS have access to medication.

Some reasons for this are that people in areas hit hardest by last year's earthquake are located in displaced persons camps. Immediately following the quake, there was no system in place to track down missing patients and patient files may not necessarily be accessible following damage to city clinics.

Emergency clinics in major cities like Port-au-Prince were in place as aid began arriving last year, but they served mainly to ensure prevention of mother to child transmission of the virus. Lack of condom availability and prevention campaigns at the camps are also proving to contribute to potential increased transmission of the virus, especially to youth.

Access to antiretroviral medication is limited, the major cost of the earthquake and Cholera outbreak have increased demands on medical and public heath resources. Organizations like Unicef and their partners are in place to rectify this situation.

Social stigma surrounding people's HIV status may prevent some from speaking out to obtain medication or support. In Haiti, it is said that HIV is mainly transmitted through heterosexual contact, making women more susceptible to transmission of the virus. Although, equally important, yes less visibly supported are the demographic of men who have sex with men, who may not feel comfortable coming forth for testing, medicine or have no access to condoms. Cultural restraints make it a challenge to monitor this demographic since homosexuality is not widely accepted.