BRASILIA - Brazil has managed to stabilize the AIDS epidemic and even recorded a slight drop of 0,61% in new cases from 2009 to 2010, the health ministry said on Monday.
The authorities are however concerned about the increase in cases among gay men aged 15 to 24, and in particular transvestites.
Young homosexuals in this age group affected by the disease increased from 25,2% in 1990 to 46,4% in 2010, according to the ministry.
Thanks to its pioneering policy to fight AIDS, which began more than 20 years ago, Brazil - with a population of 191 million inhabitants - “has stabilized the epidemic,” the ministry said in its report released on Monday.
The figures thus show that new cases fell from 0,61% from 2009 to 2010, from 35.979 to 34.212 cases.
“We see a trend of reduction in the number of cases over the years. People live more and better with the disease ”, underlined the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, during a press conference.
The number of reported cases from 1980 to June 2011 is 608.230. The number of deaths has also decreased from 2009 to 2010, from 12.097 to 11.965 cases.
Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved
