CANDLE LIGHT MEMORIAL - VILA VELHA UNIVERSITY (UVV)

INTRODUCTION. It is estimated that 750.000 people are contaminated with HIV in Brazil, which prevalence is highly concentrated in most vulnerable population (men which have sex with other men, injecting drugs users and sex workers). The Southeast region have the higher prevalence of SIDA in the country. OBJECTIVE.The project was based on SIDA CandleLight International Memorial and aimed to educate the general population and medical students about the problematic related to HIV/SIDA through health education activities. METHOD. It was added medical schools in four states: UVV (ES), FAMINAS (MG), UNIFACS (BA) and USP (SP) in three phases of execution: Training - developed a local coordinators autonomy searching and set the multicenter union, with general understanding about HIV/SIDA, infection and prevention, concept of vulnerability; Retrospective - prejudice, suffering of HIV-positive patient, vertical transmission; and Intervention, where students and local volunteers of each region gathered together to do activities with the population with the purpose of honor SIDA victims and guide the participants about those topics. RESULTS. LC UVV action occurred during the classes interval at night period, in the central place of UVV, where circulated about 800 people, with distribution of condoms and pamphlets. CONCLUSION. Education campaigns are effective in health awareness about relevant topics in public health as HIV/SIDA. These Intervention strategies decrease the stigmas and prejudices, stimulate self-care through preventive and diagnostic measures of population.