Why Brazil's response to AIDS worked?

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the CDC's official reporting of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it's surprising to see which nation has fared the best in response. It's not the United States; it's not China, India, or even Russia ... It's our good friend to the south, Brazil.


Eduardo J. Gómez first began to learn about Brazil's success as a doctoral student investigating the impact of AIDS on politics and society in the developing world. Surprised by Brazil's early response to the epidemic, especially when compared to other nations, I tossed my laptop into a backpack and set out for Brazil.

After several trips to cities throughout the country, interviewing AIDS patients, health officials, and activists, it gradually became clear that the government was indeed fully committed to eradicating AIDS, in turn proving to the world that it had the technical capacity and political commitment needed to do so.

As evidence of Brazil's success, consider the following. Aggressive national prevention campaigns for high-risk groups have contributed to a sharp decline of HIV/AIDS cases in Brazil. Because of the creation of national prevention programs targeting gay men and women, in 2002 and 2007, respectively, Brazil has seen a dramatic decline in HIV/AIDS cases among gay men, from 3,376 in 1996 to 647 in 2009, and among women, from 7,419 in 1996 to 2,034 in 2009.