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Generally speaking, Colombia has a low rate of HIV infection. It is estimated that 150,000 adults (ages 15-49) , or about 0.5% of the population, are living with HIV, as of 2017. However, HIV does particularly impact certain groups and communities, such as sex workers (1.2% infection rate), men who have sex with men (17% infection rate), injection drug users (2.8% infection rate), prisoners (1.4% infection rate), and transgender people (21.4% infection rate). For people who do live with HIV, there are social issues related to stigma and shame that they may deal with. According to a 2015 survey, only about 37% of Colombian said that they would buy fresh vegetables from a vendor if they knew that person had HIV, and only about 30% of young people (ages 15 to 24) had sufficient knowledge of HIV prevention.<ref>[http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/colombia Country factsheets - COLOMBIA 2017]</ref> | Generally speaking, Colombia has a low rate of HIV infection. It is estimated that 150,000 adults (ages 15-49) , or about 0.5% of the population, are living with HIV, as of 2017. However, HIV does particularly impact certain groups and communities, such as sex workers (1.2% infection rate), men who have sex with men (17% infection rate), injection drug users (2.8% infection rate), prisoners (1.4% infection rate), and transgender people (21.4% infection rate). For people who do live with HIV, there are social issues related to stigma and shame that they may deal with. According to a 2015 survey, only about 37% of Colombian said that they would buy fresh vegetables from a vendor if they knew that person had HIV, and only about 30% of young people (ages 15 to 24) had sufficient knowledge of HIV prevention.<ref>[http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/colombia Country factsheets - COLOMBIA 2017]</ref> | ||
One major concern for health care officials is the low HIV testing rate. The majority of Colombians | One major concern for health care officials is the low HIV testing rate. The majority of Colombians never receive HIV tests, and only 20% of at-risk Colombians ever get tested.<ref>[https://www.hindawi.com/journals/art/2014/803685/ HIV Testing and Counselling in Colombia: Local Experience on Two Different Recruitment Strategies to Better Reach Low Socioeconomic Status Communities]</ref> There are many factors that contribute to the low test rate, particularly because HIV tests are expensive, ranging from the equivalent of $20 to $40 USD, which is simply unaffordable to many Colombians. Furthermore, HIV may be perceived as not a real threat or real issue to Colombians, especially if they're in relationships. Doctors also typically do not offer an HIV test to their patients, especially if they're not seen as part of a traditionally high-risk group. These factors worry some officials, who think that the HIV infection rate may grow under these circumstances. There are also new groups of people who are becoming more commonly infected, such as housewives, who have contracted HIV from husbands who had unprotected sex outside of their marriage. Health care experts hope that women, along with all Colombians, can be tested more often.<ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/hiv-infections-increasing-in-colombia/av-17553354 HIV infections increasing in Colombia]</ref> <ref>[https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2016/february/a-window-to-prevent-hivaids-epidemic-in-colombia.html A Window to Prevent HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Colombia]</ref> | ||
===What to Get & Where to Get It=== | ===What to Get & Where to Get It=== |
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