The Municipality of Porto “leaves no one behind” and launches HIV/AIDS oriented guide in Braille

The Municipality of Porto just launched the HIV/AIDS G.P.S. (Guia Porto Sem, aka “Guide Porto Without”, free translation) guide braille version. This way, people who are blind or that have low vision are also aware of the useful information regarding HIV/AIDS. As has happened with the English version of the guide, this version will also be handed out freely through several entities in the city.

It was in May 2017 that Porto City Hall signed the Paris Declaration, taking on the commitment to end the scourge of IHV and AIDS as a public health problem in Porto, till 2030.

With this in mind, the strategy “Porto, Cidade Sem Sida” created an oriented guide that encompasses all the relevant information on HIV/AIDS; it includes information on early diagnosis, social monitoring and health follow-up that are in place in the city of Porto.

The “G.P.S. (Guia Porto Sem) VIH/Sida” had already been launched in its English version, taking into account the high number of higher education foreign students in the Invicta, and the migrant population, as well.

The target now, is to extend the inclusiveness of such relevant tool, and so the guide is launched in the Braille version, which will also be made available freely in the city.

This guide is the result of the work of the Municipality of Porto and 25 other partners of various sectors, namely health, education, social services, organised civil society,for example, on HIV/AIDS.

Besides, the guide’s focus is the reality of the city regarding this public health problem, and it is aligned with both the needs and the resources in place in the city of Porto, towards the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the policies of “leaving no one behind” and “ensuring each and every one’s wellbeing in all ages”.

In this regard, the free screening process for HIV/Aids is still in place in several spots in Porto.