Pregnant women must test for HIV amid increase in cases – Health Minister

– as behavioural gaps stymie progress

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, has issued a strong call for pregnant women – and the wider public – to get tested for Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV), warning that preventable infections continue to occur despite the availability of modern treatment and prevention tools.
He made the appeal during his address at the World AIDS Day Conference on Friday, where he underscored the urgent need for education, early testing, and consistent treatment to curb new infections.

A key concern raised by the Minister is the number of HIV-positive pregnant women who do not attend clinic during their pregnancy, resulting in babies being born with the virus – an outcome he stressed is entirely preventable. He noted that treatment is readily available to ensure HIV-positive mothers deliver HIV-free infants, but behavioural gaps continue to undermine progress.
“We have also seen over the years that there are a percentage of pregnant women who are HIV positive. And if during their pregnancy they don’t come to the clinic, then when they deliver that baby, that baby can end up being born with HIV. We have had cases of this. And again, this is totally preventable. So, even if you are HIV positive during your pregnancy, come to the clinic. Treatment will be given so that your baby is going to be born free of HIV. So again, we have to educate people,” Dr Anthony disclosed.

Spreading awareness
Dr Anthony highlighted the critical role of workplaces, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), and community organisations in spreading awareness of the tools available to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. He urged participants to share this information within their organisations so that more people can make informed decisions to protect themselves.
Guyana has just completed a detailed dossier for submission to the Pan American Health Organization, requesting an evaluation to determine whether the country has achieved the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission. The Ministry hopes that an assessment next year will confirm this milestone, though Dr Anthony cautioned that sustaining elimination requires continuous education of both mothers and fathers.
The Minister also pointed to new prevention methods being explored, including long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which offers six months of protection with a single dose. Although these medications are currently extremely expensive, he said the Government is actively working with partners to make them accessible in Guyana, anticipating that future generic versions could reduce costs significantly. Many global advocates, he noted, consider long-acting PrEP a potential “game changer” in reducing new infections.
“We are actively exploring how we can access these injections so that we can bring them to Guyana. And for those persons who would be at risk, that we are able to make this available to them. Now, right now, these injections are very expensive. Extremely expensive. But our hope is that by working with other partners, that we’ll be able to make these medications available here in Guyana. And that, for many people, they have been advocating that this is going to be a game changer in terms of the reduction of new cases, not just here in the Caribbean, but across the globe,” the Minister explained.
He stressed that eliminating HIV as a public health threat by 2030 is now realistically within reach – something once unthinkable 38 years ago when treatment options were limited and stigma was widespread. However, he warned that this final push requires more testing, more individuals starting and remaining on treatment, and stronger behavioural change efforts.

Active cases
During his address at the World AIDS Day Conference on Friday, the Minister made an urgent appeal for national vigilance after approximately 449 new HIV infections were diagnosed locally over the past year, amid continued regional transmission across the Caribbean.
Data released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) confirms that over the last year, 15,000 new infections were recorded across the Caribbean, with 340,000 persons now living with HIV regionally. The same reporting body verified that Guyana’s confirmed 449 new cases form part of this broader epidemiological movement, a trend public health experts note remains deeply influenced by preventable behavioural risk factors.
With this in mind, the Minister affirmed that Guyana has made formidable strides in transforming HIV from a terminal diagnosis into a manageable health condition – with the tools for prevention, early care, viral monitoring, and widespread treatment now institutionalised within the national system.