Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton is calling for Jamaicans to practice responsible sexual behaviour in order to prevent new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
He said results from an HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour Survey conducted for 2004, 2008 and 2012 indicate that the factors driving the epidemic have not changed over time, with continuing insufficient condom use and high levels of multiple sex partners among the general population.
Tufton, who was speaking at the media launch of World AIDS Day 2017 on Thursday, said adolescent deaths resulting from HIV infection continue to rise despite declines among other age groups.
This, he attributed to developmental, psychological and social factors, which place this group at increased risk of contracting the virus.
Director of Health Promotion and Prevention at the National Family Planning Board, Andrea Campbell, informed that there were 1,222 new HIV diagnoses in 2017.
She said studies show that the population is aware of the methods of HIV prevention. However, there seems to be a resistance by people to change their risky sexual behaviour.
