High prevalence of HIV and syphilis in a remote native community of the Peruvian Amazon

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2007 Apr;76(4):703-5.

Abstract

Little data are available on how HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) affect indigenous people in Latin America, including Peru. We conducted a sero-epidemiologic survey of HIV infection and syphilis in a native community, the Chayahuita, an indigenous population in the Amazon region of Peru. The seroprevalences of HIV and syphilis in adults were 7.5% (6 of 80) and 6.3% (5 of 80), respectively. None of the participants had ever used a condom. Male to male sexual behavior was common. At the current levels of HIV prevalence, there is the risk of a negative impact on the survival of the Chayahuita ethnic group as a whole. The outcomes of this study highlight the need for urgent medical and anthropologic approaches to stop HIV transmission in indigenous Amazonian communities.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Indians, South American / statistics & numerical data*
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Peru / epidemiology
  • Prevalence
  • Syphilis / epidemiology*