"Disease requires medication, right? And children don't, they're for life": HIV prevention according to low-income youth from five cities in Brazil.

The increase in HIV incidence rates among young people contrasts with the discontinuity of educational actions and the invisibility of AIDS in public spaces. Based on socio-anthropological research, this article analyzes conceptions and practices regarding HIV prevention of 139 men and women, aged 15 to 24 years, mostly heterosexual and cisgender, from low-income Brazilian communities in Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, and Salvador. The study involved ethnographic observation, interviews, and focus groups. According to the findings, the knowledge about diagnosis and new technologies for prevention and treatment of HIV is limited. HIV transmission is still associated with gays, trans people, and individuals with many partners; the fear of the stigma of AIDS still persists; and there is rare contact with people with HIV. There is a prevailing self-perception that HIV infection is a very distant possibility, especially if condoms are used with strangers; the concern regarding an unintended pregnancy is far greater. The results point to the need for policies that address AIDS stigma and social, racial, and gender inequalities, as well as the need to create spaces for learning and dialogue in schools, health services, and social movements, updating successful experiences and exploring the potential of social networks.