HIV/AIDS in Dominica
 Photo: Flickr
March 5, 2026 - The Borgen Project
Dominica is a small island country in the Eastern Caribbean with a population of around 70,000. Historically, the Caribbean has been one of the regions that HIV/AIDS has affected the most in the world, with an overall incidence rate surpassed only by Africa.
Considered an epidemic in the Latin American-Caribbean region since the beginning of the 1980s, HIV has had a widespread and lasting impact across many countries. Many Caribbean countries witness a prevalence rate of more than 1%, markedly above the international average of 0.7%.
Despite the fact that the greater region is still witnessing a ‘generalized epidemic’ of HIV, Dominica has made remarkable progress in tackling the disease and today accounts for some of the lowest rates of transmission and new infections in its locality, thanks to targeted testing efforts, expanded training and local education programs. Here is more information about HIV/AIDS in Dominica.
Improvement of Prevalence Rates
Dominica has succeeded in improving all of its incidence rate metrics in the fight against HIV and AIDS. In terms of new infections in the past year, Dominica saw a decisive downturn from a rate of 0.47 per 1,000 people in 1990 to 0.23 by 2024, demonstrating a fall by over half of new cases. This places it significantly below the regional average for the Caribbean, which is at approximately 0.58 per 1,000 people in 2024. Similarly, deaths stemming from HIV infections decreased by almost half from 14.46 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 7.64 by 2021.
In 2021, Dominica announced that it had eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the World Health Organization (WHO) duly awarded the country the official certification. The organization described this landmark achievement as indicative of the strength of government and civil society efforts and Dominica became the eighth country in the region to be awarded this certification.
Work on the Ground To Address HIV/AIDS in Dominica
Dominica’s success in tackling HIV has been accredited to tireless work on the ground and successful partnership between government bodies and civil society partners.
The National HIV and AIDS Response Programme (NHARP), headquartered in the nation’s capital Roseau, is a government initiative that the Health Ministry overseeds. The program has made significant inroads in minimizing stigma and has helped to dramatically reduce cases through its provision of education, training and support. Its efforts led to regional recognition in 2017, when Dominica received the Most Improved Award at the Caribbean HIV Testing Day ceremony.
Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP) is another regional organization which supports Dominica in tackling HIV/AIDS. The umbrella organization of governments, local members of civil society, agencies and donors not only funds Regional Testing Day but also advocates for policy coordination in relation to HIV, has established a regional HIV directory search function and manages an accessible log of HIV data for its constituent countries. Such efforts have proven instrumental in the fight against HIV.
Looking Ahead
In conclusion, despite an ongoing struggle against HIV in the Caribbean, Dominica has successfully reduced rates of HIV/AIDS through successful testing and education programs and a directed campaign to support pregnant mothers, which has led to the eradication of mother-to-child transmission. Consequently, Dominica has become one of the most visible examples of successful communicable disease reduction in the region and trajectories suggest the country is moving in a promising direction towards continually reducing HIV rates.
– Phoebe Lang-Clapp
Phoebe is based in Montréal, Québec, Canada and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr
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The Borgen Project
Source: https://borgenproject.org/hiv-aids-in-dominica/
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