Brazil has begun implementing a new method to reduce the risk of HIV transmission, according to the Ministry of Health. The HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis project (ImPrEP) was developed by the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI), part of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).
Brazil has begun implementing a new method to reduce the risk of HIV transmission, according to the Ministry of Health. The HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis project (ImPrEP) was developed by the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectology (INI), part of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).
Initially, 7,500 uninfected people from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru will be served by the project, making Brazil a pioneer in implementing prophylaxis as a public policy.
Antiretroviral medications will be administered daily to prevent contamination. According to INI director Valdiléia Veloso (photo), the target audience for the project includes men who have sex with men and transgender/travesti women. Professionals at HIV testing sites will also help the target audience learn more about ImPrEP and invite interested individuals to participate.
The Ministry of Health will donate antiretrovirals to the states of Amazonas, Pernambuco, Bahia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. About 3,000 Brazilians are expected to start receiving doses from September.
The ImPrEP aims to reduce infection rates in the country, which reach 44,000 per year. A total of 830,000 people were living with HIV in Brazil in 2015, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The ImPrEP will last three years. The project involves educational and research institutions from the three countries and received $20 million in funding from Unitaid, a global nonprofit initiative that promotes the development of new methods for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Source: BrazilGovNews