Nicaragua

With only 0.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV positive, Nicaragua has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in Central America. HIV was first detected in Nicaragua in 1987, after concentrated epidemics had been reported in other Central American nations. The onset of the epidemic was likely delayed by Nicaragua’s 10-year civil war and the economic blockade, both of which left the country isolated for several years. Relative control over commercial sex work, low infection rates among injecting drug users, and a ban on the commercial sale of blood also slowed HIV transmission. According to Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health (MOH), by June 2010, there were 5,124 reported cumulative cases; of them, 861 have died, and the condition is unknown in 51 cases. As of 2009, 45 percent of reported HIV cases occurred among 20 to 34 year olds, according to the MOH. In addition, the MOH reports 3,602 people currently are living with HIV and 610 have AIDS. Although the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS estimates Nicaragua has 7,700 HIV-positive people, about half of them remain undiagnosed.

Current USAID efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua target most-at-risk groups and build the capacity and sustainability of nongovernmental organizations working with HIV/AIDS. USAID-funded technical cooperation continues to provide technical assistance to the MOH to improve the quality of and access to health services (i.e., expanding and increasing the quality of public HIV/AIDS services, such as counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy (ART), the monitoring of standards and quality indicators for services provision, ensuring increased patient adherence to clinical therapy, and reduction of stigma and discrimination among health services providers). Since 2010, in coordination with the United Nations Population Fund, USAID has been providing technical assistance to the MOH to integrate ART, rapid tests, and medicines for opportunistic infections into the national supply chain.

Related Links

• USAID Mission in Nicaragua