Article
Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Brazil: hopes and moral panic in the social construction of a biomedical technology
Registro en:
BRIGEIRO, Mauro; MONTEIRO, Simone. Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Brazil: hopes and moral panic in the social construction of a biomedical technology. Culture, Health & Sexuality, p. 1 - 16, 2022.
1464-5351
10.1080/13691058.2022.2121423
Autor
Brigeiro, Mauro
Monteiro, Simone
Resumen
This paper addresses the role emotions play in the social assemblage
of medicines and technical processes in the response to
the HIV called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV. We
describe a series of stages and processes in the social construction
of PrEP in Brazil from the run-up to the launch of the initiative
by the Ministry of Health to the subsequent implementation
of the strategy by public health services. To understand the
meanings and symbolism assigned to this biomedical technology,
we examined the hopes underpinning scientific, government and
non-governmental narratives, clinical processes and health policy.
The social trajectory of PrEP was influenced not only by these
hopes but also by fears and concerns about the impact of this
approach to HIV prevention on lifestyles and modes of sexual
governance. The evidence used in this study comes from interviews
with health professionals and AIDS activists, anthropological
fieldwork, scientific articles and documentary analysis. Our findings
provide important insights into how emotions have shaped
the meanings assigned to PrEP and shed light on the complex
game of negotiation involved in defining responses to the
HIV epidemic.