Fast Facts about HIV/AIDS

·         First case reported in PNG in 1987

·         PNG has the most recorded cases in the South Pacific region, totaling 80 percent of HIV and AIDS cases in the region

·         PNG is 4^th highest rates for HIV in the Asia Pacific region.

·         Papua New Guineans ages 15-45 are most affected and women are twice to four times as likely to be infected

·         Modes of transmission- heterosexual sex (85%), mother to child (5%), others including those who and unsure how they got the virus (10%)

·         AIDS is the leading cause of death in Port Moresby General Hospital

·         Over 4,000 reported cases in 2001; however, testing is not readily available and there is a stigma attached, so it is estimated that for every case of HIV that is reported, there were 3-4 that were not reported. By 2005, an estimated 60,000 had the disease.

·         PNG’s epidemic is similar to that of Africa in terms of high rate of heterosexual transmission (90% due to heterosexual relationships) and culture of silence about this issue

·         Two of the highest risk groups are college students and married women (What hope does a country have when the mothers and educated of the country will soon die?)

·         Many women do not want to be married as marital unfaithfulness of their husband could be their death sentence

·         An AusAID-commissioned report* concluded that unless interventions to address the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS in PNG are scaled up, by 2025:

Ø  Over 500,000 people will be living with HIV/AIDS

Ø   117,000 children will have lost their mothers to AIDS

Ø   The workforce will have declined by 12.5%

Ø   GDP will be 1.3% less than predicted

Ø  70% of all hospital beds will be needed for AIDS patients.

** Information from Peer Education Manual put out by the PNG National AIDS council and Aus-AID website