Gareth Thomas speaks about HIV stigma in Brazil
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, former Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, who lives with HIV, took part in the Tackle HIV campaign during the International AIDS Conference. He said that people still fear HIV because of insufficient awareness of modern treatment methods. This was reported by NPR World.
According to Thomas, modern medicines enable people with HIV to live normal, healthy lives provided treatment begins in time. Fear of a diagnosis can lead people to avoid testing, receiving their results, or taking medication.
Stigma and late diagnosis
Brazil has the largest number of people living with HIV in Latin America — nearly 1.1 million. The country’s public health system provides free medicines that suppress the virus and prevent its transmission, but discrimination remains a serious obstacle.
A UNAIDS Brazil study shows that more than half of people with HIV in the country have experienced some form of discrimination. According to national data, 27% of people with HIV are diagnosed and begin treatment only at a late stage of AIDS, when their immune systems are already significantly weakened. More than 9,000 people died of AIDS in Brazil in 2024.
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According to government data, 82% of people with such a diagnosis take antiretroviral therapy drugs to suppress HIV. This is below the UN target of 95%. Gustavo Passos, a representative of UNAIDS Brazil, said that this gap may be related to how people interact with healthcare services. He also noted that some people with HIV fear stigmatization and the unlawful disclosure of their status by medical workers.
Activists’ experiences
Activist Welton Gabriel from São Paulo, who learned of his HIV status 12 years ago, said that some of his close friends stopped communicating with him afterward. He now works with Barong, an organization that conducts mobile testing and disseminates information about protection from HIV among vulnerable communities.
Fabiana de Oliveira, an activist from the National Network of Women Living with HIV, noted that discrimination also has a gender dimension. After she was diagnosed at age 26, her fiancé no longer spoke to her, and his family said that she could no longer come to their home.
Brazil is conducting a large practical study of lenacapavir, an injectable drug administered twice a year that may prevent HIV transmission. At the same time, de Oliveira stressed that without awareness campaigns and a more open conversation about HIV, medical innovations will not have the necessary impact.
