Abstract
BackgroundThe border area between French Guiana and Brazil is an active HIV-transmission zone. The aim of the present study was to describe HIV knowledge, risk and the level of stigma among inhabitants of this border area.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 621 inhabitants over 18 years of age in the border cities of Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock in French Guiana and Oiapoque in Brazil. It was conducted between October 2017 and February 2018. An anonymous standardized questionnaire was filled out by culturally-trained mediators, then analyzed using STATA 12.ResultsAlmost half (45.9%) of the individuals had a low education level. Participants whose native language was Portuguese or French demonstrated better HIV knowledge than other populations, notably native Amerindian and creole-speaking people. HIV risk behavior was more frequent in men and in younger age groups. People with good HIV knowledge reported having performed more HIV tests in the last year than participants with poor knowledge. The stigma level was high and reported in 74.8% of respondents.ConclusionsThese results illustrate the need for initiatives to improve HIV prevention among autochthonous populations on both sides of this border area. Cross-border collaboration on health policies could produce common key messages adapted to the education level and multi-linguistic populations who live in this area.
Highlights
The border area between French Guiana and Brazil is an active Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-transmission zone
Sex tourism thrives in the area and high risk practices associated with HIV have been previously described among sex workers [8]
The aim of the present study was to describe the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV among the populations living on both sides of the border between French Guiana and Brazil
Summary
The border area between French Guiana and Brazil is an active HIV-transmission zone. French Guiana is a French overseas territory located in the northern region of Brazil. It is bordered by the State of Amapá. For more than 10 years, the HIV prevalence rates among pregnant women in French Guiana and in Amapá have exceeded 1% [1, 2]. The border between French Guiana and Brazil is a corridor for immigrants and a supply area for illegal gold miners called “Garimpeiros”, who come mainly from northern Brazil [7]. The border areas in French Guiana are precarious and frequent stigmatizing attitudes have been reported [9]
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