Investment Case for HIV in Papua New Guinea

This Investment case for HIV in PNG shows that because of the hard work and considerable investments of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government, its international partners, church groups, civil society and people living with HIV, the HIV epidemic has been checked with prevalence at a little under 1 percent of the total population. With estimates in 2000 predicting an HIV epidemic at five times that level, it is clear that investments in HIV work but the job is far from complete. The Investment case for HIV in PNG (“the Investment Case”) also shows that we cannot be complacent: among the general population in the National Capital District, HIV prevalence is 1.6 percent and it is above 1 percent throughout the highlands, where the bulk of the population lives. In some key populations, prevalence is much higher: around 15% of sex workers and 9% of men who have sex with men are living with HIV, and new infections are increasing in both groups. PNG also has the highest STI rates in the region.