Next Thursday, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. The appointment aims to educate society and public bodies about the need to take effective preventive measures. With this goal in mind, SMS (Londrina Municipal Health Department) has extended the opening hours of the CTA (Test and Counseling Centre), between November 28 and December 1. The place is in Alameda Manoel Ribas, in the city center.
People can access City Council website And set business hours from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm for express check-up and counseling services. Kits containing male and female condoms, media and self-test will also be distributed.
In addition, a series of educational activities are being carried out in different parts of the city, promoted by the Municipal STI/HIV/AIDS/Viral Hepatitis Control Program and supported by partner entities.
The first educational action involved SESC students, with a lecture dealing with sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). This activity was conducted by a nursing resident in Infectious Diseases. On Monday (28), at 10:40 a.m., a new lecture is scheduled, this time at the Colégio Estadual Albino Feijó Sanches, located at Rua Jacarezinho, 80, Parque das Indústrias.
In addition to sexually transmitted diseases, which include HIV, syphilis, human papillomavirus and other diseases, the lecture at Government College will also highlight the importance of World AIDS Day in preventing HIV infection.
The agenda also includes participation in the second HIV/AIDS Symposium at Londrina State University (UEL), organized by the Viva PositHIVo project. The symposium will take place from November 30 to December 1, in the amphitheater of the University Hospital Science and Health Center (HU-UEL), with an interdisciplinary program aimed at students and health professionals. Among other topics, the following will be discussed: The pathogenesis of HIV infection. diagnosis of HIV infection; vertical transmission of HIV; treatment Combine prevention mandala. humanitarian assistance for people living with HIV; quality of life: diet and exercise; Narrating life with HIV;
And on December 1st, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the Center for Integrated Infectious Diseases (CIDI) team heads to Praça Gabriel Martins, in Calçadão de Londrina, to raise public awareness and provide technical guidance on HIV prevention. Human/AIDS. This activity will also involve the participation of the Municipal Committee on Sexually Transmitted Diseases / AIDS (COMUNIAIDS) and students from the Colégio Estadual Albino Feijó Sanches.
On the same day, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Senac students will be on the SESC unit to raise awareness about STDs, rapid testing, and the dissemination of HIV self-testing. Another educational action on this topic will take place at UEL, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and again from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in front of the university’s canteen, with members of the Safety Projects Attachment, the Teen and Students from Colegio aplicación.
According to the reference center’s dental surgeon, Dr. Bruno Piancastelli Filho, Lázara Regina Rezende, The methodology of using students and youth to spread safe means of prevention of HIV and other STDs is an alternative that brings the population closer to information. We call this the Youth Champion, because it puts young people on the same page, unlike when the approach comes from a health professional. He commented that this issue of young people talking to their peers is a methodology that brings the topic closer and makes the dialogue more fruitful.
The majority of new HIV cases are still among young adults, especially in the 20-year-old age group, explained Resende, who also advises the CTA. Among the reasons, she points to resistance to condom use. “The key factor is still not using a condom, which is the most effective way to avoid contamination. Sexual practices are also more dynamic, so casual sex increases the risk, especially if associated with the absence of a condom,” he notes.
Another important issue relates to the development of HIV treatments that, unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, allow a person with HIV to have a longer, well-rounded life expectancy. Young people did not have that experience when AIDS was killing people so easily. Today, there is no cure for the infection, but it is under control and unfortunately it ends up becoming a common occurrence. And young people always think that this will happen to someone else, except him, so they don’t take precautions, ”added the dentist.
To reduce the chances of contracting HIV, Rezende stressed the need for condom use in all relationships, which generally and simply prevents several diseases at the same time. “December 1 intensifies our work, especially on prevention and treatment measures. We are working a lot on the topic of self-test, because many people do not go to the health unit to take the test. The self-test is provided by the SUS and can be done at home, confidentially, and if necessary, she can request services later.Remember that it is very important to start treatment and follow up as soon as possible, in the event of a positive result.It is concluded that the sooner you start antivirals, the better the efficacy and prognosis, with full availability of treatment Exclusively through SUS.
Data – From January 2 to October 31 of this year, the Center for Testing and Counseling (CTA) conducted 3,695 rapid HIV tests. It exceeds the total number recorded throughout 2021, when 2,828 rapid tests were administered at the CTA.
In the IST/HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic at Dr. Bruno Piancastelli Filho, from January to November 22 of this year, 202 new medical records were opened, 202 patients and 35 patients. The survey indicated that most cases of HIV infection fall in the age group from 20 to 34 years, which constitute 78% of cases. In terms of deaths, Londrina was also responsible in 2022, for 34 AIDS deaths.
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