A Throwback to Last Year’s Highlights at PrEP South America

Written by Kris H. Oliveira and Thiago Peniche

The research project “Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention in South America: An Ethnography of Access, Use, and Management Experiences” — PrEP in South America (CNPq, Decit/SECTICS/MS and Dathi/SVSA/MS, grant numbers 445070/2023-4 and 405770/2024-3) — coordinated by André Machado and Kris H. de Oliveira and based at the Amazonas State University (UEA), carried out a significant range of activities throughout 2025. These actions included scientific publications, training initiatives, as well as institutional and community-based engagements, consolidating the project’s role as an interdisciplinary and transnational research network dedicated to the critical analysis of PrEP as an HIV prevention strategy in South America.

Below is a retrospective of the main activities carried out in 2025.

Education and community-based actions

“HIV/AIDS, new prevention technologies, social responses and neoliberal dilemmas”

In the first semester of 2025, the Institute of Social Medicine at UERJ (IMS/UERJ), in partnership with the PrEP in South America project, offered the course “HIV/AIDS, New Prevention Technologies, Social Responses, and Neoliberal Dilemmas” (001 – Special Topics in Humanities and Health III – IMS38277). A disciplina foi aberta a discentes de graduação e pós-graduação de diferentes regiões do Brasil, constituindo-se como um espaço formativo interdisciplinar voltado à análise crítica das transformações contemporâneas nas políticas de prevenção ao HIV, das tecnologias biomédicas emergentes e de seus impactos sociais, políticos e éticos.

Find out more here.

Reading Group “Scientific Practice in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence”

In September, we organized a reading group dedicated to reflecting on scientific practice in the age of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI). The activity was carried out in partnership with the Laboratory for Socio-Anthropological Studies on Life Technologies (Nudecri/Labjor/Unicamp) and the Center for Psychosocial Studies on Human Rights and Health (NEPDS/UEA). Held over five meetings, the group focused on discussing the book “Guidelines for the Ethical and Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence: A Practical Guide for Researchers,” by Rafael C. Sampaio, Marcelo Sabbatini, and Ricardo Limongi (2024). The initiative contributed to strengthening critical and ethical reflection on the use of GAI tools in scientific research, particularly in the human and social sciences in health.

Find out more here.

Education and community-based actions

Dialogue with Health Professionals at Professor Masao Goto Health Center / Rio de Janeiro, RJ

On February 17, PET Saúde GT 1 organized a lecture and discussion session on PrEP and PEP at the Professor Masao Goto Municipal Health Center. The activity addressed how these prevention strategies work, their objectives, priority populations, and key information for HIV prevention, strengthening dialogue between the university, health services, and the community. The event featured the participation of Thiago Peniche, who shared updated and relevant contributions on the topic, expanding the discussion and enhancing the exchange of experiences among participants.

Watch it on instagram.

Community Advisory Committee

In partnership with the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA), we formalized our Community Advisory Committee, with representatives from all regions of Brazil, as well as from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Paraguay.

Educational activities during Carnival

Also within the scope of community actions and scientific dissemination, we participated in PauerFolia, a series by communicator Ágata Pauer. The initiative aimed to raise public awareness about PrEP during Carnival, promoting accessible information about HIV prevention in a festive context with a large circulation of people. The PauerFolia series sought to reinforce the importance of care, combined prevention, and risk reduction, contributing to a safer and more informed Carnival experience.

Watch it on instagram.

Contextual Analysis

PrEP South America conducted a regional survey on the impacts of the funding cuts to the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), announced at the beginning of the year, which led to the interruption or reduction of essential HIV prevention, treatment, care, and research programs in South America. Although Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS) was not directly affected, several local projects and community initiatives were discontinued, resulting in staff layoffs and reduced access to services aimed at vulnerable populations. In countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, the cuts had more severe effects, compromising care for migrants, refugees, and LGBTQIAPN+ populations, as well as affecting the distribution of supplies, access to PrEP, and community-based support services. The survey also identified negative impacts on HIV-related scientific production, including the suspension of studies and thematic restrictions imposed on research, highlighting a context of shrinking international funding with direct consequences for the regional response to the epidemic.