Text produced by William Meneses, a journalism student at IDP.
It's a very sensitive topic. That's a fact. It's no wonder I was afraid to do it. However, it wasn't the terrifying experience I imagined. On the contrary, it was very enlightening and added a lot to my knowledge on the subject. Is AIDS a death sentence? Not at all! Forty years since the first diagnosis, science is at a very advanced stage and a definitive cure is knocking on the door.
This news report made me realize I had a prejudice about the subject. Something I never even imagined. Especially regarding the ways of contagion and how HIV-positive people live. They are normal people who live very well, as far as possible thanks to treatment. I had contact with Raimundo Nonato, a psychologist, very successful in his profession, in good health and full of hope about a cure.
Another very interesting point is about how the Brazilian healthcare system deals with AIDS and its patients. From what I heard from the sources interviewed, Brazil has always been a reference in this area, even having its model copied by other countries. Who would have thought? We often underestimate our country too much. Which doesn't mean it can't be improved. There's always room for improvement, a point highlighted by the sources.
It was surprising to understand the depth with which HIV is treated. There are many specialists with much to contribute, whereas I initially thought the subject was rarely addressed. Is it still a taboo? Absolutely. But there is advanced work being done to change that. Hope is knocking at the door even more with recent news of HIV patients who may have been cured of the infection without the need for a bone marrow transplant and without antiretroviral treatment.
In short, producing this report helped me learn, and that alone made me happy. I was frustrated that I couldn't get all the sources I wanted, such as the infectious disease specialists. But that's okay, it was a learning experience in that sense too. I hope that the things I learned, like the HIV prevention and treatment methods I included in the content, reach as many people as possible and that, of course, they enjoy reading it.
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