Text produced by William Meneses, graduating in journalism at IDP.

It's a very delicate topic. That's a fact. No wonder I was afraid to do it. However, it wasn't all the terror I imagined. On the contrary, it was very enlightening and added a lot to my knowledge on the topic. Is AIDS a death sentence? What nothing! With 40 years since the first diagnosis, science is at a very advanced stage and with a definitive cure knocking on the door.

This report made me realize that I had a prejudice towards the subject. Something I never imagined. Mainly due to the forms of contagion and how HIV-positive people live. They are normal people who live as well as possible after 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 how Brazilian healthcare deals with AIDS and its patients. From what I heard from the sources interviewed, Brazil has always been a reference on the subject, including having the model copied by other countries. Who knew? We often underestimate our country too much. Which doesn't mean it can't be improved. There is always room for improvement, which was highlighted by the sources 

It was surprising to understand the depth with which HIV is treated. There are several experts with a lot to add, while I thought the subject was little covered initially. Is it still taboo? For sure. But there is advanced work to make it no longer so. Hope is knocking 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 antiretroviral treatment.

In short, producing the report helped me learn and that left me satisfied in itself. I was frustrated at not getting all the sources I wanted, such as infectious disease specialists. But that's ok, it was a learning experience in that sense too. I hope that the things I learned, such as the HIV prevention and treatment methods that I introduced in the content, reach as many people as possible and that, of course, they enjoy reading.

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