The number of persons testing positive for HIV in the Caribbean is increasing every year and shows no sign of abating. HIV/AIDS threatens to undo the spectacular gains in health we have made in the region over the last several decades. This disease can take a tremendous toll on the body as wasting and loss of lean body tissue are common. Currently HIV/AIDS cannot be cured, but aggressive nutritional support can help to extend life and contribute to its quality. It is equally important to prolong and care for the lives of persons living with the virus as it is to prevent infection in those without it.

The challenge for policy makers is to decrease the spread of HIV infection while continuing to provide care for those who are already HIV-positive or living with AIDS. Nutritional support is conspicuous by its absence in current approaches to comprehensive care in the region. This absence deprives persons with HIV of the opportunity to strengthen their immune system, improve the effectiveness of drug treatment and, importantly, delay the progression of AIDS. The major objective of this handbook is to provide caregivers and persons living with HIV/AIDS with the basic tools for nutritional care, and help to redress the long-standing imbalance so notable in the care of persons with HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.

Fitzroy Henry
Director, CFNI