title: High prevalence of HIV and syphilis in a remote native community of the Peruvian Amazon.
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.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Alexander von Humboldt," Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zavaleta
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Kelika
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konda
authors.forename: Yadira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Valderrama
authors.forename: Sten H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Vermund
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotuzzo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013587:Syphilis / Q000453:epidemiology*