The 12 Brazilian cities that will receive Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, a treatment that prevents future infection by the HIV virus, were determined and announced, after months of studying the drug in the country. Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Brasília and Manaus will be the first Brazilian capitals to offer treatment through the Unified Health System. According to Adele Benzaken, director of the Department of Surveillance, Prevention and Control of STIs, HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, it is necessary to “give access to this project to those who need it most, such as the trans population and sex workers”. PrEP consists of a combined tablet of the antiretroviral drugs Tenofovir and Emtricitabine, which must be prescribed to HIV-negative people in order to avoid infection with the agent that causes AIDS. The medicine is recommended for people who are more vulnerable to HIV, such as sex workers and people who are intolerant to condoms. The World Health Organization also recommends the use of Truvado for serodifferent couples – when one has the virus and the other does not.
