The Guardian wrote a story about Darwin Zerpa, a 29-year-old Venezuelan who came to Peru in 2017 after he was invited to take part in a conference for the UN Jovenes Positivos network, which fights against the exclusion of young HIV-positive people. He is also HIV positive.
“I came to Peru because I wanted to live,” said Zerpa, according to The Guardian, adding that he started his treatment in Mérida, Venezuela in 2015 when he found out he had the virus.
The Guardian also explained that by 2017 the healthcare system in the South American country had collapsed and antiretrovirals, needed to treat the HIV virus and were administered free of charge, were only being found in the black market costing up to $500 US dollars per pill.
“The price is totally out of reach for the vast majority in the country, where the minimum wage is around $30 US dollars a month”, The Guardian wrote.
Eventually, Zerpa stopped taking his antiretrovirals altogether and after catching a stomach bug and ending in a wheelchair because of his low weight he decided to migrate to be able to stay alive.
“Zerpa considers himself one of the lucky ones. He dedicates himself to helping his fellow HIV-positive Venezuelans who are entitled to free treatment in Peru if they can register and bypass a series of bureaucratic hurdles”, the aforementioned media said.
