HIV Rates in Latin America 2016: Cases on the Rise in Venezuela Indigenous Sites; 5 Facts to Remember

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Cases of HIV infection are rising among indigenous people in Venezuela and here are five facts you need to know about it:

Who are infected?

Latin Correspondent reported that HIV cases were first reported in Warao communities in 2007. However, the disease has since spread to many other areas in the Orinoco Delta region.

Fox News Latino reported that researchers estimated the disease was already present in the community 15 years before. However, as of 2013, some 9.55 percent of the Warao population have been tested positive for HIV. Venezuela has a 0.56 HIV positive rate overall.

"Our estimates are that 10 percent of Warao people could be infected, that's more than 10 times higher than the overall level of HIV occurrences in Venezuela at large, which is less than 1 percent," Flor Pujol, an expert studying HIV cases in the region, told the news outlet.

How do Waraos live?

The Warao tribe is composed of South American Indians whose livelihood is focused on fishing, gathering and hunting. Britannica informed that they live in beehive-shaped thatch huts near riverbeds and swampy areas. They follow strict rites and rituals led by shamans, priests or chiefs.

Experts noted that, because of their living conditions, with poverty and lack of health care as some of the primary concerns, the tribe is vulnerable to diseases. Warao Org cited that many of the indigents also suffer from tuberculosis, diarrhea, fever and vomiting, including the children.

How did HIV reach the community in the first place?

The experts are not clear as to how the disease reached the isolated communities. However, a study published in PLOS One suggested links to the Orinoco Delta trade routes taken by ships that supply the mining and oil industries in the region. It's the men in the tribe who are mostly infected, with scientists assuming homosexuality and prostitution as likely factors.

Why is the disease spreading and killing at a faster rate?

Apart from poverty and limited access to health care, the indigents know little about the disease. "The sad thing is, when we do manage to get them the retroviral, they take them for one or two months and, once they start feeling better, they stop taking the medication," said Pujol. "They don't understand that HIV is something they will have to deal with their whole lives."

What else is being done?

With many of the men population dying due to HIV, women tribe members are abandoning their communities. Ekklesia reported that an advocacy group is calling on the help of the United Nations and Venezuela officials to uphold tribal land rights to protect indigents. More details are found at Survival International.