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Belize, with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of 2.4% at the end of 2005, has the unwanted distinction of having the third highest rate of infection in the Caribbean region and the highest in Central America.
Data available since 1995 illustrates that, in the past several years, Belize has been experiencing a dramatic escalation in reported cases of HIV, placing its prevalence at 2.4% - the highest in Central America and the third highest in the Caribbean.
Reports from 1986 through June 2005 indicate that 3,154 individuals in Belize have acquired HIV and 745 have developed AIDS. In addition, 576 deaths have been reported to be AIDS related.
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Location
Belize's HIV/AIDS epidemic is influenced by its geopolitical location. The country is an excellent transit point to the United States due to its location, the bilingual characteristic of its population, and its diverse cultures.
Transmission
Conclusions on the major mode of HIV transmission in Belize are difficult to make due to incomplete reporting of information. However, some information on mode of infection among persons with HIV who have developed AIDS is available. Existing information from these AIDS cases indicate the primary mode of infection between 1986 and 1994 to be heterosexual sex, with 71% of AIDS cases associated with heterosexual activity.
Vulnerable Populations
Several groups in Belize have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, including persons living in poverty, mobile and migrant populations, commercial sex workers, persons living with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), youth, men who have sex with men, members of the uniformed services and incarcerated populations
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