By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas recorded 156 newly diagnosed cases of HIV in 2024, up from 130 cases in 2023.

Officials said the increase comes amid a broader trend of fluctuating case numbers in the post-COVID-19 era.

From 2010 to 2024, the country saw a 47 percent decline in newly reported HIV cases. However, health officials note that recent figures have surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, said that while treatment coverage remained high, HIV testing dropped significantly during COVID, by about 50 percent.

“In 2021, there were 122 reported cases,” Dr Forbes noted. “But that was during the height of the COVID response, so when we compare that to the 156 cases reported in 2024, we see an increase.”

She said it is unclear whether this rise indicates increased HIV transmission or simply reflects a return to baseline levels after a period of reduced testing.

“Before COVID, we typically recorded between 140 to 160 cases annually. So these recent numbers may indicate a normalization of reporting rather than a true surge in infections,” she said.

Dr Forbes highlighted limited access to testing during pandemic lockdowns as a likely factor in the earlier low case counts.

“If people were sheltering in place, accessing an HIV test would have been difficult,” she said.

She added that while some progress has been made in meeting UNAIDS country targets, including significant reductions in new infections and AIDS-related deaths since 2010, some setbacks may have occurred during the pandemic.

“At the end of 2024, we estimate that 3,988 people were living with HIV in The Bahamas,” she said. One case of mother-to-child transmission was recorded that year.

New Providence accounted for the majority of new HIV cases at 82 percent, followed by Grand Bahama with ten percent and the Family Islands with eight percent. Men made up 63 percent of new diagnoses, with a median age of 37. The 30-39 age group accounted for 36 percent of new infections, followed by 40-49 at 19 percent, and those aged 50 and older at 17 percent.

Twenty people aged 15-24 were diagnosed in 2024, representing 14 percent of new cases, a 50 percent drop in that age group since 2010.

AIDS-related deaths decreased by 57 percent over the same period.

Currently, about 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status. Among them, 78 percent are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 91 percent of those on ART have achieved viral suppression. However, five percent remain unaware of their status, and over 20 percent are not accessing the free HIV medications available.

In 2024, 100 people accessed the HIV prevention pill PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) through the National AIDS Programme. Officials said efforts are underway to expand that number.

Meanwhile, sexually transmitted infections remain a concern. In 2025, 131 cases of chlamydia were reported in February, rising to 151 in May before dropping to 111 in June. Gonorrhoea cases increased from 34 in February to 42 in May, then fell to 33 in June.

Young adults aged 15-24 made up 51 percent of chlamydia cases and 60 percent of gonorrhoea cases, with females accounting for 74 percent of chlamydia diagnoses.

“There is no current evidence of an STI outbreak,” Dr Forbes said, “but we are watching the data closely.”