HIV campaigns in Peruvian Internet Cafes
Posted by Wolfy Becker on February 27th, 2007
(JP-wb) — Surfing the world wide web is becoming increasingly popular among Peru’s society, including homosexuals. However, owning a personal computer remains, in many ways, an unaffordable luxury for most Peruvians. Instead they have to rely on the services provided by numerous Internet cafés throughout the country.
Now scientists intend to use these cafes for anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns, considering the fact that four out of five Peruvians go online in these cafes. Internet cafés are widely spread in Peru: about 10.000 exist, even the poor people living in shantytowns or in little rural villages are able to surf around the globe for a few cents per hour.
According to a note published at PLoS Magazine ( - link - ), Walter H. Curioso and his colleagues from Lima’s School for Public Health and Administration want to take advantage of the cafes in order to raise awareness and educate people about HIV.
For example, the scientists envision the Internet cafés selling condoms and handing out brochures about AIDS. In addition, they are planning Internet based campaigns for homosexual men to spread information about options, possibilities regarding diagnosis and treatment.
Curioso and his team believe taking these steps makes sense because estimates show that approximately 10 million Peruvians are frequently using the Internet, and it is known that especially the high risk group of homosexual men go regularly online and many use the cafes for that purpose.
Peruvians are also known worldwide as one of the leaders in utilizing the ever popular chat rooms and dating services. However, sometimes paying a visit to a cafe is not only for seeking virtual contacts. A survey revealed that every one hundredth gay man likes using private cabins roughly the size of a toilet booth to find real pleasure behind closed doors.
In Latin America approximately 1,8 million are infected with HIV and 66.000 died from the virus in 2005 alone. Scientists say that in Peru between 10 and 22 percent of homosexual men have contracted the virus.
- related articles -
16 percent of Peruvian HIV/AIDS patients are younger than 15 (by JP, Feb. 26, 2007)
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