Official Statement by Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew on the Occasion of World AIDS Day 2025
Today, December 1, 2025, we join the global community in marking World AIDS Day and renewing our commitment to ending AIDS by 2030. This year’s theme, ‘Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,’ underscores how international funding cuts have disrupted critical services and increased risks for vulnerable groups. It urges us to respond with unity, innovation, and determination to protect our progress and stay on track toward our 2030 goals.
In St. Kitts and Nevis, the national HIV/AIDS program benefits from technical support and capacity building provided by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the PANCAP Coordinating Unit within the CARICOM Secretariat. The program is funded through annual allocations from the Ministry of Finance and has also received support from the multi-country Global Fund Grant to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. The most recent Global Fund Agreement, signed in May 2025, committed over US$56,000 to our program for the period April 2025 to December 2027. However, due to global donor funding cuts, this support is now at risk, and the Federation may not receive the full amount pledged.
This year’s theme urges the Ministry of Health and the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis to act decisively—ensuring sufficient funding, increasing annual budget support, and forging new strategic partnerships to help bridge funding gaps and protect the progress we have achieved.
Globally, in 2024, an estimated 40.8 million persons were living with HIV and 1.3 million persons were newly diagnosed. In 2024, 630,000 persons in the world, died of AIDS related causes. During this same year, St. Kitts and Nevis had an estimated 238 persons living with HIV, 19 persons were newly diagnosed, and 3 persons died of AIDS related causes. All people living with HIV in our Federation receive free life-saving medication. Yet new infections are rising, especially among 15- to 24-year-olds. Now is the time for urgent action.
Our National HIV/AIDS Program forms the backbone of the Federation’s response to the epidemic. It is built on three essential pillars: equity and human rights for all, strict confidentiality to safeguard personal health information, and a commitment to providing care free from stigma and discrimination.
The National HIV/AIDS Secretariat and the public health team continue to work diligently to support people living with HIV across the full continuum of care. Our services address HIV/AIDS prevention and control at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Primary Prevention Services & Interventions
- Combination Prevention: We deliver health education in schools, workplaces, and communities; increase access to free condoms for key populations; and provide timely treatment for STIs.
- Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT): All pregnant women are screened for HIV and syphilis, and those who test positive receive treatment to prevent transmission. St. Kitts and Nevis has maintained its validated elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis since 2017.
- Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): PrEP is being provided to high-risk populations, with costs subsidized by the Ministry of Health.
Secondary Prevention Services & Interventions
- Early Detection: Expanded access to screening and testing among key populations, vulnerable groups, and communities to identify infections as early as possible.
- Immediate Linkage to Care: Rapid connection to treatment and support services, coordinated by two case managers and two clinical care coordinators.
- Access to Modern Anti -retroviral medications (ARVs): ]Continued provision of free ARVs including newer options with fewer side effects to support strong adherence.
- Social and Counselling Support: Assistance with food, basic needs, mental health services, and counselling to promote partner notification, consistent condom use, and safer behaviours.
Tertiary Prevention Services & Interventions
- Medication Adherence: Ongoing management and counselling help people living with HIV maintain strict adherence to treatment, achieve an undetectable viral load, stay healthy, and prevent transmission. Undetectable = Untransmittable.
- Monitoring and Treating Opportunistic Infections: Health professionals closely monitor for, detect, and treat infections early, preventing them from becoming severe or life-threatening and reducing AIDS-related deaths.
- Managing Comorbidities: Because PLHIVs are at increased risk for conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cervical cancer, regular screening and monitoring ensure early detection and timely management.
The Government of St. Kitts & Nevis continues to fully fund HIV testing and life-saving antiretroviral therapy. It remains committed to increasing annual domestic budget allocations to ensure these essential services are sustained and accessible to all.
As we look toward 2026 and beyond, I want to emphasize the following:
- Make HIV testing part of your annual medical check-up.
- Couples and partners should get tested before engaging in unprotected sex.
- Stay informed—learn how HIV is transmitted and how to protect yourself.
- HIV testing and condoms are free at all public health facilities. Protect yourself during the upcoming Christmas and Carnival season.
- HIV is no longer a death sentence. With regular testing, early diagnosis, and treatment, people living with HIV can achieve an undetectable viral load and live long, healthy, productive lives.
We all have a role to play in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Ministry of Health cannot do it alone. We extend our gratitude to our local partners, including SKN Alliance and SKN Care, whose collaboration has strengthened our impact among key populations and vulnerable groups. We thank you for your continued support. This fight requires sustained funding and united action. Let us continue working together to strengthen our services for people living with HIV and those at risk, as we strive to end AIDS by 2030.
Thank You!
