Brewis A A
Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Health Transit Rev. 1992 Oct;2(2):195-213.
The potential health threat of AIDS to the native island-based populations in the Pacific is now widely appreciated by those working in the public-health sector throughout the region. Although several countries in the region are yet to identify any cases of AIDS or HIV seropositivity, there is reason to suspect that heterosexual contact may emerge as a predominant mode of spread of HIV infection into native Pacific island populations. Sexual networks and their relationship to potentially 'risky behaviours' are described for a single native Micronesian atoll community on the basis of ethnographic observation and interviewing. This description is combined with the investigation of historic-demographic dimensions of the epidemiology of sexually-transmitted diseases in the same population to draw some conclusions about the opportunities for HIV transmission and acquisition among the sexually-active portions of this community. Although sexually-transmitted diseases have not had an appreciable epidemiological or demographic impact on the population in the past, the sexual networks within the community and beyond provide ample opportunity for the introduction and spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and its sequel AIDS.
艾滋病对太平洋地区以岛屿为基地的当地居民的潜在健康威胁，现已得到该地区从事公共卫生工作的人员的广泛认识。尽管该地区有几个国家尚未发现任何艾滋病病例或艾滋病毒血清阳性情况，但有理由怀疑异性接触可能成为艾滋病毒感染传播到太平洋岛屿当地居民中的主要方式。基于人种学观察和访谈，描述了密克罗尼西亚一个单一环礁岛社区中当地居民的性网络及其与潜在“危险行为”的关系。这一描述与对同一人群中性传播疾病流行病学的历史人口统计学维度的调查相结合，以得出关于该社区性活跃人群中艾滋病毒传播和感染机会的一些结论。尽管过去性传播疾病在流行病学或人口统计学方面对该人群没有产生明显影响，但社区内外的性网络为包括艾滋病毒及其后续的艾滋病在内的性传播疾病的传入和传播提供了充足机会。
