Title
Expansion of HIV and syphilis into the Peruvian Amazon: a survey of four communities of an indigenous Amazonian ethnic group
Date Issued
01 November 2008
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Abstract
Background: In 2004, cases of HIV and syphilis were reported in an indigenous community in the Peruvian Amazon. This study sought to determine the prevalence of HIV and syphilis in four remote communities of the same indigenous ethnic group located further from an urban center than the original community, and to identify risk factors for HIV and syphilis transmission. Methods: Rapid and confirmatory tests for HIV and syphilis were performed. A questionnaire elicited demographic information, risk factors for sexually transmitted infections, and knowledge/beliefs about HIV/AIDS. Results: We collected 282 blood samples and conducted interviews with 281 (99.6%) participants. The confirmed syphilis prevalence rate was 3.2% (9/282; 3.7% (5/135) for men and 2.7% (4/147) for women). The confirmed HIV prevalence rate was 0.7% (2/282), with both infections in men who had sex with men (MSM). Self-reported MSM activity was 39.7%. There was poor knowledge about HIV infection, transmission, and prevention, and low acceptance of known prevention methods. Conclusions: HIV and syphilis are now prevalent in remote Amazonian communities of an indigenous group in Peru. Expansion of the HIV epidemic into the Amazon requires an urgent public health response. © 2008 International Society for Infectious Diseases.
Volume
12
Issue
6
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Virología Etnología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-54349128835
PubMed ID
Source
International Journal of Infectious Diseases
ISSN of the container
12019712
Sponsor(s)
This study was supported in part by the Emphasis Program, the Institute for Global Health, and the Overall Fellowship. It was also supported in part by the Fogarty International Center, NIH, ‘Framework’ grant #R25TW007766. These sponsors did not play any role in the study design, in the collection, analysis or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus