What is Julia Doing?: HIV/AIDS in Brazil

I just returned from a two week trip into the interior of Northeast Brazil to a small city called Santo Antonio de Jesus. I spent these two weeks at an HIV/AIDS clinic called CTA/SAE. I was there each day from 8 to 12 and 2 to 5 doing extensive learning and observing. It was one of the most academically stimulating experiences I have had in Brazil and I absolutely loved the time that I spent there. CTA/SAE is a testing, care, and treatment site that is free, universal, and sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. It is a testament to the country’s dedication to combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic that rattled the country in the 1980s. Brazil is the best example of a developing country that has been able to measure up to the success of rich countries in the fight against AIDS. I find this absolutely remarkable and it gives me hope that other developing and underdeveloped countries can find their own ways to tackle the issue with the limited resources they have.

CTA/SAE serves the municipality of Santo Antonio and surrounding areas. The clinic has two doctors (obstetrician and infectologist), several nurses, nutritionists, psychologists and psychology interns, 3 lab technicians, a blood transporter, pharmacist and a receptionist. I was really impressed by the quality of care and how integrated the clinic was. Everybody there works as a tight-knit team and patients are able to access different types of free care all at one site. There are 108 patients with AIDS that receive medication from CTA and go into the pharmacy each month to have a consult and receive their anti-retroviral treatment scheme. Patients are able to receive their medication for absolutely no cost and this is the case within all of Brazil. Brazil produces generic forms of a variety of anti-retroviral therapy drugs within the country itself and has been able to knock back costs that way. Patients are also able to receive medication for opportunistic infections like Tuberculosis and STDS. Not only does CTA/SAE provide free care and treatment to those who have HIV/AIDS, but they provide free testing for HIV, Hepatitis and other STDs. Something that I found really impressive was the preventative and education approach included with all aspects of the clinic. For example, each time a patient comes in to get tested they are given a small lesson about HIV/AIDS and STDs. They are also talked to about diminishing the negative stigma behind HIV/AIDs which remains a big problem in Brazil.

Carolyn, another SIT student, and I were placed at CTA/SAE for those two weeks and were given an absolutely amazing opportunity that I would not have been given as a non pre-med undergraduate student in the United States. We were able to spend one on one time with each professional at the clinic asking whatever questions we wanted and given a small lesson on their area of expertise. We were also able to spend time with each professional during patient visits. Many times we were introduced as doctors from the United States doing research here so that the patients would understand and accept us in the room. I feel so fortunate to have been able to really observe up close how the clinic worked and also how HIV/AIDS works in Brazil. I also learned a lot about HIV/AIDS and the science behind it. I ended the two weeks with a specialization and massive interest in HIV/AIDS and more specifically HIV/AIDS in Brazil.

The team of people that works at CTA/SAE are so full of love and have the biggest hearts. They deal with very serious situations all day long but always have smiles on their faces. They are all extremely close with one another and the patients. It is a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere that was contagious with positivity. It was a pleasure get to know them so well and I will never forget them. I couldn’t have imagined a better placement during my time in Santo Antonio de Jesus. I feel that I really took all that I could out of the experience.

HIV/AIDS does not have to defeat in today’s world. I will never forget what the psychologist told a patient during a clinic visit. She said, “HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence in Brazil. People are able to live happy, healthy, and long lives”. I now understand that this is true and how it is true. I witnessed it myself at CTA/SAE. The government has made it possible due to its vigorous dedication to the issue, providing free care and treatment, and a focus on prevention and education.