In São Paulo, 1 in every 4 Men who Have Sex with Men Has HIV, According to Study

06/06/2018 - 12h58

One in four men who have sex with men in the municipality of São Paulo has the HIV virus, according to a study conducted in 12 Brazilian cities commissioned by the Ministry of Health.

Published by the International journal "Medicine", the new study interviewed 4,176 men from 11 capital cities and Brasilia, in order to represent all social classes.

A total of 3,958 agreed to take the HIV test, resulting in 18.4% of HIV-positive cases. The previous study, conducted in 2009 with the same methodology, found a 12.1% positive match.

"It's a very high number. Lives are at risk, "says Lígia Kerr, a professor at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) who coordinated both studies.

Such growth is also seen in Europe and in the USA. "There is talk of a second Aids wave," says Lígia.

Lack of prevention campaigns is among possible reasons.

Mario Scheffer, professor of the department of preventive health at USP, believes we need to "teach" new generations how to reinvent prevention.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that almost half of the population between the ages of 15 and 24 do not use condoms with occasional partners.

Law student Matheus Emilio Pereira da Silva, 22, from the NGO Pela Vida, states young people tend to think that the infection will never happen to them.

"It happened to me. I wasn't concerned about prevention," he said; he started having sex at the age of 16 and, at 18, he was infected with HIV.

Translated by ANA BEATRIZ DEMARIA

Read the article in the original language