On Wednesday (6), the Guarulhos Department of Health took an important step in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by training 230 frontline primary care professionals, namely community health agents and nurses. The ceremony was held at the Adamastor Municipal Education Center.

The program began with a lecture entitled “How does primary health care work in the continuum of care for people living with HIV?”, given by Eduarda Jardim, Medical Director at GSK ViiV Healthcare, a global HIV company, from the IST municipality/address program AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, Marina Niersmajje Alves, The critical role that community health agents and primary care nurses play in dealing with sexually transmitted diseases in Guarulhos.

Training health professionals is essential to quickly identify sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C. Based on health education measures, as well as counseling and rapid testing of the population, it is possible to reduce the risk of complications and transmission of these diseases, in addition to providing a better quality of life for the patient.

Photographs: Fabio Nunes Teixeira/BMG