SHOCK THERAPY IN BRAZIL

摘要

Explosive. That was the word to describe the AIDS epidemic in Brazil. In 1992, the World Bank predicted that the number of cases would exceed one million in the year 2000. The demographic growth of Brazil, a country of nearly 170 million people, heightened fears of an epidemic comparable to that sweeping Africa. But while Brazil is one of the countries in Latin America that has been hardest hit by the disease, with more than 600,000 people living with HIV, the numbers are far below the catastrophic forecasts made 10 years ago. The country has even become a point of reference for numerous developing countries in the throes of the epidemic. The daring policy adopted by the authorities in Brasilia - based on active prevention campaigns and, since 1996, the free distribution of anti-retroviral drugs to those who are sick - has turned out to be particularly effective.