It had been two years since Pequeño, a nurse, had visited this poor indigenous village in the remote Orinoco Delta region of eastern Venezuela. But AIDS activists and specialists say that HIV infection rates and the number of AIDS-related deaths have skyrocketed. So, too, has the number of once-stable HIV patients whose health has collapsed for lack of a regular supply of antiretroviral drugs and medicines to treat opportunistic diseases. Born and raised in San Francisco de Guayo, Pequeño has worked for 15 years at a small medical clinic there. He has also served as the state’s point person in the lower delta region for the distribution of antiretroviral medicine.

Source: National Post May 08, 2018 14:08 UTC