BACKGROUND
The Caribbean AIDS Telecommunications and Information Network (CATIN) was established in 1996 with resources from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the UK Department for International Development. Its role will be to provide critical health information on HIV / AIDS / STI's to member countries and to coordinate and promote prevention and control programmes in conjunction with regional National AIDS Programmes (NAP) within each participating country.

GOAL
To improve the health status of participating countries through an increased awareness on the impact and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections / HIV and AIDS.

CATIN NETWORK
The network is currently operational in ten selected CAREC member countries namely Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Guyana and Turks and Caicos The appointed CATIN team will provide leadership, focus and coordination for all health education / promotion efforts of STIs and HIV/AIDS programmes in the region. The network continues to expand to embrace ultimately all 21 CAREC member countries. COORDINATING AGENCY CAREC's Special Programme on Sexually Transmitted Infections (SPSTI) serves as the coordinating agency and focal point for the Network. Its mandate will be to provide leadership, focus and coordination of the information support functions for health education and promotion efforts for the prevention and control programmes respectively.