ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the changing perceptions and conflicting responses of the people of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico to the emergence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and infection on the island. It is concerned with the changing perceptions of HIV infection over time and among different groups and the way in which a response to the epidemic can be launched in rural Puerto Rico. The chapter describes the formation of an embryonic community organization which began to meet in 1991. It examines the focus of the community group on teenagers and explains this with the neglect of possible channels of infection for adults. The chapter suggests reasons why certain topics have been easier for people to raise in public and the limitations this imposes on community based efforts to prevent HIV infection. The roles played by women changed even while they retained responsibility for their households.
