At a glance
CDC works with partners in Trinidad and Tobago to build sustainable public health capacity, strengthen laboratory systems and surveillance networks, deliver high-quality HIV diagnostic, treatment, and prevention services, and respond swiftly to disease outbreaks at their source, preventing health threats from reaching the U.S.
Strategic focus
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Caribbean office, based in Jamaica, extends its technical support to Trinidad and Tobago. Collaborating with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and other partners, CDC is committed to achieving the UNAIDS 95-95-95 HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression targets by 2030. By leveraging international best practices, CDC facilitates the adoption of effective strategies to accelerate progress and strengthen the HIV response in Trinidad and Tobago.
Read more about CDC's most recent key activities and accomplishments below.
Building public health capacity
- Built clinical capacity to institutionalize and adopt the latest Treat All Guidelines aimed at addressing key gaps in the 95-95-95 cascade.
- Enhanced the availability of high-quality and timely data through strengthening essential data and information systems to analyze program interventions and inform programming.
- Strengthened data collection and visualization tools and developed data tracking systems.
- Built a culture of timely data use through analysis and the linking of disparate information systems, such as surveillance, prevention, treatment, and laboratory.
- Supported staff capacity at the national, regional, and site levels to analyze HIV programming to make informed program decisions.
Strengthening laboratory systems and networks
- Increased the number of internationally accredited laboratories.
- Supported continuous quality improvement toward accreditation, including strengthening human resource capacity through technical training.
- Implemented the HIV Rapid Test Quality Improvement Initiative to oversee the implementation of quality assurance measures for HIV testing and provide external quality assurance panels to ensure reliable HIV testing processes.
- Expanded and strengthened the Laboratory Information System and National Laboratory Services Network.
- Scaled up and strengthened molecular testing capacity, including viral load and early infant diagnosis testing.
HIV prevention and treatment
- Provided expertise for case-finding, including index and mobile testing, enhanced partner notification, interventions for people at greater risk for HIV, and other disease testing and management into prevention, care and treatment.
- Supported the government to update testing policies to include HIV infection recency testing and self-testing.
- Retained patients on treatment through expanded care access, differentiated service delivery models, including evening clinic hours, and integrated psychosocial support.
- Enhanced viral load suppression through psychosocial services and treatment, monitoring and channeling for patients who are not virally suppressed, and fast-tracking of stable patients (Rapid Pathway Model).
By the numbers
HIV
Estimated HIV Prevalence (Ages 15-49)
1.0% (2022)
Estimated HIV Deaths (Age≥15)
<500 (2022)
Reported Number Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (Age≥15)
7,104 (2022)
TB
Estimated TB Incidence
21/100,000 population (2023)
Reported Percent of People with TB and HIV
20% (2023)
TB Treatment Success Rate
71% (2022)
Resources
Our success is built on the backbone of science and strong partnerships.