Rio Grande do Sul has six out of ten cities with more AIDS cases in the country | Rio Grande do Sul

The epidemiological surveillance data from Rio Grande show that the incidence of the disease is higher among men aged 20 to 49 years. The Ministry of Health attributes this index to the fact that the city is a port with a large circulation of the population.

"There has been an increase in the supply of tests, both the rapid test and the laboratory test, I think this may have prompted this question to raise these indices," said the coordinator of the municipal HIV / AIDS program, Cláudia Borges.

Since June, the city has been participating in the federal government's HIV (PEP) prophylaxis program, which provides drugs within 72 hours of exposure to the virus and 28 days of treatment. Also this year, the pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) program, which involves using a drug for those who are not infected with the virus, should be implemented, but is very easily exposed.

However, the most effective method is the use of condoms. In Rio Grande, the condom has been made available in several areas of the city.

Coordinator of the NGO Mãos Unidas Pela Vida, Margarete Silva Melo has been living with the disease since the age of 20 years. From there, the treatment became part of the routine. She is married, adopted a child and shares her knowledge and experience with other people who also live this situation and warns about the importance of prevention.

"HIV does not just happen on December 1. It's every day, every minute a person is contaminated," he says.

The population of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil decreases decreasingly 6,255 Camaragibe (PE) 6,236 Canoas (RS) 6,218 . RS

The Ministry of Health newsletter also reported positive results. AIDS-related mortality in SAR decreased between 2014 and 2017. From 10.6 deaths per 100,000 population, the rate fell to 9 deaths per 100,000 population, a reduction of 15%.

The detection figures, that is, the discovery of new cases, also decreased during the same period. There were 39.5 cases per 100,000 population and 29.4 per 100,000 population, a reduction of 25.5%, according to the data.