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Overcoming discrimination is more difficult than fighting HIV. "Stigma comes with the virus, which is the great challenge of the disease," says psychologist Salvador Corrêa, 34, a training coordinator at Abia (Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association).
HIV positive At seven, he discovered that he was HIV-positive at a routine checkup.The result fell like a bomb.
"I was in the middle of my master's degree and I was not there." was completely blocked. I had to go through a process of elaboration that resigned everything, even my own prejudices, "he says.
One way to" dispel the anxiety "was to create an anonymous blog in The blog eventually became the book "The Second Cabinet" (Autografia / 2011), adapted for the theater and presented at the Getúlio Vargas Memorial in Rio de Janeiro.
"Internet was a valuable social support for me Thanks to the blog, many people ended up taking part in my life more than my friends and family. They knew my naked truth, that I did not have the courage to reveal to anyone. It was a moment of great power of solidarity, "he says.
The prevalence is higher among young men
But this is not always the case. He says that he had to face the first prejudice shortly after the result of the examination. "When I heard the result, I was greeted by a nurse who, very supportive, left her position as a health professional and kissed me, but on my first visit, the doctor was extremely warned, taking me responsible for the infection. "
For the psychologist, society tends to hold the victim to account. "When you throw prevention at the individual level, you take responsibility for what is social, collective and governmental," he says.
More: A hospital failure may have exposed 3,000 people to hepatitis and HIV in the United States.
"The HIV virus is controlled, but not discriminating, the social virus is as dangerous and perhaps more deadly than the biological, preventing you from having social contacts, expelling you from I never know what will be the reaction of a person when I will reveal that I have HIV. "
Corrêa belongs to the age group in which is located the most advanced virus in Brazil – men aged 15 to 39, according to the infectiologist, Jean Gorinchteyn. of the Institute of Infectology Emílio Ribas, in São Paulo. "About 70% of infected men belong to this age group.The incidence rate is 52 per 100,000 population."
The doctor points out that, although the prevalence of HIV in the country is higher in men, it increases in women aged 15 to 24 years. According to him, the incidence of this disease has increased from 16 to 32 infected women per 100,000 inhabitants.
"The growth of the disease in pregnant women is striking.In the past 10 years, more than 120,000 young women have jointly discovered the diagnosis of HIV and pregnancy. " Beautiful people are not badociated with HIV "
For the infectologist, prejudices hinder the prevention of the disease." People still look at stereotypes. They see beautiful and healthy people who do not badociate with the HIV virus. In fact, these people do not have the disease, AIDS, but they can be infected with the virus, even if the person does not know they have it. "
Correa, who also works in the region, believes that to succeed more affected by the epidemic, it is necessary to carry out prevention activities in schools." The young man no longer has access to the information as before, and when he has it, it is misleading information from false information. In addition, he lives in a society where he does not talk about it and does not know about prevention in a combined way, according to the policy of the Ministry of Health. "
Read also: Nearly 10 million people I do not know that they have the HIV virus
Combined prevention involves the use of condoms as part of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to HIV, methods proposed by the public network. "The idea of the Ministry is to propose a range of preventive measures, including condoms, but not limited to it, because some people do not use it, so it's useless to say. He must have access to other forms of prevention. "
The infectologist recognizes that young people do not know all forms of prevention." Young people trivialize prevention in many ways. One of them is to believe that AIDS is treated and this, in the minds of some young people, amounts to treating a urinary tract infection or treated pneumonia in 10 days. It's totally wrong. "
" We think this will never happen "
Corrêa contracted HIV for not using condoms for exceptional use." I knew that he existed forms of prevention, such as PEP, used after contact with the virus, but I did not use it because people think that it will never happen, "he says. [19659002] justice after my unfaithful boyfriend contaminates me with HIV & # 39;
Corrêa discovered that he was carrying the virus before the illness became symptomatic. early antiretroviral treatment and did not develop AIDS
Today, his treatment consists of taking two tablets a day.In his case, the remedies do not cause side effects. " The only problem is not to forget to take it. Since 2012, I have an undetectable viral load.
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He explains that when the diagnosis is defined of HIV, several tests are performed, but two become constant. One is CD4, which monitors immunity; the other is the viral load, which measures the amount of virus in the blood.
After six months of daily use of antiretrovirals, the HIV virus tends to be undetectable in the blood, he said. "It means you stop being a potential transmitter," he said.
Brazil pioneering HIV treatment
Since 2013, Brazil has adopted a policy of "testing and treating". people are no longer potential emitters, thus preventing diseases. "When the virus is undetectable, the quality of life is better because it does not attack the defense cells, but you still have the virus.It is incubated, hidden in what are called viral reservoirs, a space in the cell in which the drug can not enter, but the virus can not get out of it too. "
According to the psychologist, Brazil is one of the pioneer countries to guarantee the right to life to all those who have the HIV. "That is to say that the HIV-positive person in Brazil can get totally free treatment under the SUS, which includes consultation, examinations, medications, psychological treatment sessions in a comprehensive way." C & # 39; is one of the country's major achievements. "
" There is a need to broaden the debate on prevention and much remains to be done in the field of treatment to incorporate newer drugs with fewer drugs. " Side effects.
Brazil has the highest number of HTLV cases in the world, a cousin of HIV:
Brazil has the highest number of HTLV cases in the world.
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