A 25% increase in new HIV cases among Puerto Ricans ages 60 and older has led the San Juan Health Department to create a new sex education program called "Golden Force."
For the year ending in September 2007, 238 new HIV cases were reported among Puerto Rican seniors. Puerto Rico Health Secretary Rosa Perez Perdomo said about 4% of all HIV cases reported in the commonwealth are in this age group. Puerto Rico has the fifth-highest concentration of AIDS cases in the United States, about 26 cases per 100,000 people.
Health officials are planning several prevention outreaches, including public service announcements and a radio campaign. According to HIV prevention counselor Milagro Melendez, "Golden Force" is focusing on reaching seniors at retirement homes, local fairs, and domino parks, where program staffers hand out condoms and educate people about the dangers of unprotected sex. Future plans include reaching older people at San Juan bars.
Melendez said local doctors face a challenge dealing with HIV-positive patients because AIDS remains a taboo topic. When elderly patients complain of health issues, physicians often confuse the early symptoms of HIV infection with those of old age, he said.
[This summary provided by the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention | Miami Herald | Jan. 28, 2008 | Susan Anasagasti Akus]
HIV Cases Among Puerto Rican Seniors on the Rise | News Story | HIVPlusMag.com | Health+Spirit+Culture+Life
NOW 5-16-2010 Still no Prevention for seniors!
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