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Rio de Janeiro registers lowest HIV/AIDS infection rate in 11 years.
Published on 01/12/2025 - 13:18 | Updated on 01/12/2025 - 13:23
Health Department launches unprecedented bulletin for Red December, which will feature special actions in health units - Edu Kapps/SMS The city of Rio de Janeiro has the lowest HIV/AIDS infection rate in 11 years, according to a new epidemiological bulletin from the Municipal Health Department (SMS). The study indicates a detection rate of 29,6 cases per 100 inhabitants over 13 years of age in the municipality, the best result in the entire historical series, which began in 2014. The new edition of the HIV/AIDS epidemiological bulletin was released this Monday to mark World AIDS Day, celebrated on December 1st. This date inaugurates the Red December campaign, in which the units of the municipal health network carry out a series of special actions to raise public awareness about the importance of prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Developed by the Sub-Secretariat for Promotion, Primary Care and Health Surveillance (SUBPAV), the bulletin indicates that the disease detection rate has significantly decreased compared to last year, when the rate was 41,4 cases per 100 inhabitants. This drop is a consequence of investments in expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention services, available in family clinics and municipal health centers. Among other strategies, the Municipal Health Department (SMS) expanded the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which has been registering successive record levels of adherence: since 2021, the number of users has jumped from 1.305 to 22.025.
– This is a historic result, reflecting the central role of Primary Care and the effort of the entire network in expanding access to prevention and care. Even so, we cannot lower our guard: it is essential to maintain all precautions against HIV, such as combined prevention, testing and, if necessary, appropriate treatment. Red December is an opportunity to combat the stigma and prejudice surrounding sexually transmitted infections and to reinforce that our units are open to all who need guidance and support – said the municipal Secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz.
Other indicators in the report also point to the best scenario of the decade. The municipality recorded the lowest percentage of positive tests in the last 10 years, with only 0,9% positive results. Mortality also fell drastically: there were 357 deaths in 2025, the lowest number in the entire historical series — in 2014, the record was 917 deaths. In addition, there was a large reduction in children born with HIV (vertical transmission): from 23 cases in 2014 to only two this year.
Postcards are specially illuminated for World AIDS Day.
It is important to highlight that proper treatment of people living with HIV allows them to achieve an undetectable viral load, making them untransmissible. Currently, Primary Care units are monitoring 45.098 people diagnosed with HIV. Of all those who underwent viral load testing, 93% had an undetectable result, the highest number in the entire historical series. The full bulletin is available on the website of the Municipal Health Department.
– The indicators presented in the bulletin consolidate an important turning point in the trajectory of HIV/AIDS in the municipality. The simultaneous decrease in detection, mortality, and vertical transmission signals that the integration between epidemiological surveillance, Primary Care, and prevention policies is producing solid and sustainable results. Even so, we remain committed to expanding early access to diagnosis and strengthening combined prevention strategies, fundamental measures to maintain this progress – pointed out the Undersecretary for Health Promotion, Primary Care, and Surveillance, Renato Cony.
D-Day and special events throughout the month
The municipal health network units will host a series of special events for Red December. This year, the campaign's main day will be on Saturday (December 13th), when all Primary Care units (family clinics and municipal health centers) will be open from 8 am to 5 pm. The goal is to facilitate access to prevention and treatment, offering rapid HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C tests, as well as vaccination against hepatitis B, A, and HPV, and distribution of condoms and other prevention supplies for those who cannot attend the units during the week. There will also be outreach activities in high-traffic areas, such as squares and parks, to provide information about timely diagnosis and combat prejudice, aiming to bring healthcare closer to the population and give visibility to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Throughout the month, the units will promote educational activities to reinforce the importance of sexual protection, focusing on combined prevention, which unites different prevention methods. A new feature is the encouragement of HIV self-testing, which allows users to perform the test with greater autonomy and privacy, and can even take the results to partners who do not access the health unit.
In addition to PrEP, other prevention methods are distributed free of charge by family clinics, municipal health centers, and primary care units, such as internal and external condoms and lubricant gel. The municipal health network also offers post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), antiretroviral therapy used for 28 days after possible exposure to the virus, such as through unprotected sex, sexual violence, or accidents involving biological material. In these cases, it is essential to seek immediate care at hospitals, emergency care units, or family clinics for evaluation and initiation of treatment within the recommended timeframe.
– I am very happy, as someone who has been active in this cause for 30 years, that Secretary Soranz's decision to create a coordination for health prevention has helped to bring about these results, whether in the drastic drop in infection rates or the increase in PrEP. Prevention comes with information. Go to any family clinic and get PrEP; it doesn't have to be the one you're registered with. The network also offers PEP and treatment for people diagnosed with HIV, helping to combat the stigma and prejudice surrounding the disease – declared the Health Prevention Coordinator of the SMS (Municipal Health Secretariat), Carlos Tufvesson.
About the date
December 1st was established as World AIDS Day in 1988 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to draw attention to the spread of the HIV virus as a global public health problem. In Brazil, the Red December campaign aims to engage professionals and users in the prevention, care, protection, and promotion of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the immune system, which is responsible for defending the body against disease. Infection mainly occurs through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an HIV-positive partner, that is, someone who has already been infected with the virus.
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