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The Indian Health Service (IHS)
reported 47 new HIV cases on the Navajo reservation in 2012—a 20-percent
increase from 2011. Since 1999, HIV incidence in the Navajo tribe has increased
fivefold, according to Dr. Jonathan Iralu, the report’s author. Iralu partly
attributed the recent rise in diagnoses to earlier detection of the virus among
tribe members.
When AIDS emerged on the reservation
in the late 1980s, patients tended to present late, and approximately one-third
of patients died soon after diagnosis. Although improved treatment and
awareness campaigns initially lowered incidence and mortality, cultural stigma
remains a major barrier to HIV prevention. The Navajo rarely disclose HIV
infection or discuss it publicly. IHS previously concluded that most new HIV
cases originated among Navajo who traveled off the reservation to urban areas;
Iralu now fears that transmission is taking place among tribe members on the
reservation.
Executive Director of the Navajo
AIDS Network (NAN) Melvin Harrison noted that most of NAN’s 65 patients have
not disclosed their HIV status. Approximately 75 percent of NAN’s clients are
gay Navajo men who do not make their relationships public. Men who have sex
with men account for approximately half of the new HIV cases on the
reservation. The intimate nature of the reservation also creates a barrier, as
clients may know the staff at the clinic.
From 1998 to 2005, HIV incidence
among the Navajo was close to the rate among whites and lower than among
Hispanics and blacks. However, mortality has remained higher among HIV-infected
Navajo, possibly because of co-morbidity with diabetes and drug and alcohol
abuse. NAN, IHS, and Dr. Iralu’s clinic have increased prevention efforts,
including distributing condoms, promoting awareness in social media, and
providing public service messages in Navajo.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
