A report in El Caribe newspaper says there have been 11,079 new AIDS cases reported in the DR so far this year. The article says the high numbers make it imperative that the DR secures favored nation status as some African nations and Brazil have done. The favored nation agreement would allow for the local manufacture of generic medicine to treat the virus as well as for discounts in the price of brand name medicines. At present, it costs US$12,000 a year to treat an AIDS patient. Ernesto Guerrero, the nation’s leading AIDS expert, says 2% of the population of the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Guyana are infected by the disease. The infection rate increases to 6% in Haiti. He feels the high rate of infection in the Caribbean merits special treatment similar to what Africa and Brazil have received. Official statistics show a total of 117,140 reported cases of AIDS in the DR as of 2000.
