What's Behind The Alarming Spike In HIV Infections In Panama?
In many parts of the world, the rate of HIV infection is declining. But not among the indigenous peoples of this Central American country.
by Jacob McCleland
May 14, 2018
4 minutes
A short man with a ponytail peeks through a crack in a sheet-metal fence, calling out to see if anybody's home. His name is Dario Garcia and he's checking on some people with HIV to make sure they're taking their meds.
Garcia walks through the muddy yard, past chickens and scrawny dogs to the cinder block house.
Inside, he finds two men, both indigenous and HIV-positive. At first, they want to talk to Garcia. Then, they spot someone outside — a neighbor or a family member. They clam up. One man backs into the corner of the room. If he could dissolve into the ash-gray wall, he would. Nobody else in the household knows they have HIV, and the
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