An analysis of Jamaica’s HIV surveillance data showed improved timely diagnosis of HIV-infection and
reduction in HIV morbidity over the last 2 decades.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To delineate changes in the epidemiology of HIV including morbidity and mortality patterns based on three key time points in Jamaica’s HIV response.
Molecular analysis of 53 strains of human immunodeficiency virus type-1(HIV-1) from Jamaican patients revealed the presence of several subtypes and a high genetic diversity of the virus in Jamaica.
The majority of strains of HIV-1 isolated from HIV-1 infected individuals in Jamaica were found to be HIV- 1 subtype B. The less frequently found HIV-1 subtypes were C, D and E and some strains were untypable by the methods used.