The AIDS epidemic in Brazil: Public health and community responses

Abstract

Brazil boasts one of the world's most successful programmes to confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in spite of the country's rather low social and health indicators. The government recognised early the threat that HIV/AIDS posed to Brazil, and initiated a great number of programmes. However, the success of prevention programmes, assistance to those infected and control of the epidemic in Brazil are the result of a combination of political will, technical and human resource capacity, adequate funding and, most important, social mobilisation.

Notes

Mário Scheffer is an activist in the struggle against AIDS in Brazil, and a member of the non‐governmental organisation Pela Vida, from Sao Paulo. He is also a member of the National Health Council, where he represents health service users. This article was translated from the original Portuguese by Juliana Soares Santo, MA in Sociology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.