Next Saturday (3), Rio City Hall will promote the biggest action ever undertaken by a Brazilian city to combat AIDS. The action is part of the "Fique Sabendo" project and is one of the initiatives around December 1st, World AIDS Day.
The Municipal Secretary of Health and Civil Defense will provide AIDS and Syphilis tests in 185 health centers and family clinics throughout the city. Normally tests can only be done at the 12 Testing and Counseling Centers (CTAs).
The city hall invested around 2 million reais in the action. 30 tests are expected to be carried out on Saturday. The objective is to encourage the population to take the exam and monitor the start of treatment for positive patients. It is worth noting that everyone who takes the test will undergo counseling before and after the exam.
"When we know from UNAIDS data that 250 citizens are living with HIV without knowing it, we understand the importance of the action of the Health Department of the City of Rio", says Carlos Tufvesson, coordinator of the Secretary of Sexual Diversity of Rio.
The health units will be open from 8 am to 17 pm. Around 3.200 employees participate in the action. In addition to the tests, educational material and condoms will be distributed.
"The name of the action, 'Fique Sabendo', reinforces the importance of combating ignorance and misinformation. Public authorities offer the means to obtain diagnosis and treatment, but citizens need to be aware that they also have to do your part by going to a health unit. The biggest challenge of this campaign is to fight against prejudice", says Hans Dohmann, municipal secretary of Health and Civil Defense.
In recent data from the Ministry of Health, it was revealed that the number of young gay men who contracted the disease increased in 2010. "These results make clear the lack of knowledge regarding AIDS on the part of today's young people", says Tufvesson.
On the nights of December 01st, 02nd and 03rd, 10 monuments in the city will be lit up in red for World AIDS Day. Among them Christ the Redeemer, Arcos da Lapa and the City Hall.
