The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Rural Aboriginal Communities

Research on HIV/AIDS is extensive, yet specific populations and specific issues relating to HIV/AIDS remain undeveloped. One of these populations is aboriginal peoples, specifically aboriginal peoples living with HIV/AIDS in rural Canada. We1 focused originally on aboriginal peoples living in rural Canada to obtain a greater understanding of their vulnerability to HIV infection. Aboriginal peoples, in this paper, include those who identify themselves as Inuit, Metis, Native American, Navajo, Indian, Aboriginal and/or First Nations. Due to a lack of literature available on HIV/AIDS in rural Canada, this paper has been expanded to incorporate literature on rural aboriginal peoples in the United States.2 Investigations into the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Canada were also undertaken in an attempt to gain comparative perspective on HIV/AIDS among Canadian aboriginal peoples. Our central questions are: What are the risk factors faced by rural aboriginal peoples? Are rural aboriginal people more vulnerable to HIV? and What can be done (or is already being done) in terms of prevention? We found that the literature on HIV/AIDS and aboriginal peoples living in rural communities is limited; nonetheless it suggests that aboriginal peoples living in rura