Abstract
Objective:to understand how the relationships between chronicity and politics shape sociability and mutual help among people living with HIV/AIDS.Method:This is a virtual ethnography in a closed group on Facebook. To collect the information, on-lineparticipant observation and documental analysis were utilized. 37 posts were analyzed using the softwareNVivo 12 Pro and the thematic coding technique.Results:Two thematic categories emerged: Do the treatment and time will take care of the rest: Mutual help and HIV/AIDS as a chronic condition; and Yes, there is danger around the corner, my dear: Politics, conflicts and sociability in the group. The most relevant aspect of this study concerns the evidence of the fragility of the discourse on the chronicity of HIV/AIDS.Conclusion:Through the analysis of sociability and mutual help produced among the members of the investigated group, it was possible to apprehend the ways in which, in their experiences on living with HIV/AIDS as a chronic condition, the relationships between health-disease, politics and time showed the dependence between chronicity and the State, and its impacts on daily life.
Highlights
In the early 1980s, the epidemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) brought to the fore and updated old social representations linked to infectious diseases: evil, horror, withering, contamination, disorder, transgression and death(1)
Worldwide, 32 million people have died from AIDS-related diseases, and in 2018 it was estimated that there were 37.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), the majority of whom were adults (36.2 million)(2)
The chronic character of HIV/AIDS was triggered in posts by members new to the group and/or newly diagnosed, people with mental health problems and on adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART)
Summary
In the early 1980s, the epidemic caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) brought to the fore and updated old social representations linked to infectious diseases: evil, horror, withering, contamination, disorder, transgression and death(1). Worldwide, 32 million people have died from AIDS-related diseases, and in 2018 it was estimated that there were 37.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), the majority of whom were adults (36.2 million)(2). In this panorama, the unequal incidence of HIV/AIDS between regions and countries stands out, which requires attention to structural difficulties (education, economics, costs, stigma, health system, etc.) that are not mitigated only by the health system(3-5). In 2018, of the total PLWHA in the world, only 23.3 million had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART)(2) Despite these figures, the global incidence of HIV infection and mortality from AIDS has decreased: from 2.9 million in 1997 to 1.7 million in 2018; 55% reduction since 2004 (1.7 million) compared to 2018 (770 thousand), respectively(2). The standardized mortality rate for AIDS decreased by 24.1% in the period of 2008 (5.8/100 thousand inhab.) to 2018 (4.4/100 thousand inhab.)(6)
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