Advocate promotes testing to battle HIV epidemic, stigma

A sexual reproductive health advocate on Thursday said one way to battle the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the stigma that comes along with it is through testing.

In a media forum hosted by the Department of Health, Danvic Rosadiño, head of programs and innovations of LoveYourSelf PH, stressed the importance of HIV testing.

“Dahil kaya na natin na practically ma-prevent ang HIV, prevent na makuha, prevent na mapasa, kaya na natin ipalaganap sa ibang tao na okay lang magpa-test (Since we can practically prevent HIV, prevent ourselves from getting it, prevent ourselves from spreading it, we can encourage others that it’s okay to get tested),” Rosadiño explained.

“Kung ikaw ay negative, access prevention options para maiwasang makuha ang HIV. At kung ikaw ay taong living with HIV, access treatment para hindi mo maipasa ang HIV sa ibang tao (If you’re negative, access prevention options so you could avoid getting HIV. If you’re a person living with HIV, access treatment so you could not spread it),” he added.

The treatment for HIV, Rosadiño furthered, is called antiretroviral therapy or ART.

He added that the goal of HIV treatment is to reduce a person’s viral load to an undetectable level.

Undetectable level means no measurable virus or zero risk of transmission to sexual partner/s. It also has a minimal risk of mother to child transmission.

“Gusto po natin na matanggal ang stigma o yung kahihiyan na naka-attach sa isang taong living with HIV (We want to remove the stigma or the embarrassment attached with people living with HIV),” Rosadiño said.

“Na ang pagkakaroon ng sakit ay hindi lang po sakit yung binibigay niya physically kundi yung shame, yung stigma, o kahihiyan na makihalubilo sa ibang tao, makipag-date, o posibleng makapag-asawa. Ito po yung tinatanggal ng gamutan natin ngayon… binibigyan natin sila ng pag-asa na you can live a normal healthy life (That having an illness does not only affect one physically, but also affect them through shame, stigma, and embarrassment that could probably hinder them from meeting other people, going on dates, or possibly meet their lifetime partners. This is what we’re working on now… we’re giving them the hope that they can live a normal life),” he added.

With the help of the government, LoveYourSelfPH offers free HIV-related services.

Since most of their hubs are only concentrated in Metro Manila, LoveYourSelfPH also offers pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

PrEP is a biomedical intervention for HIV infection in the form of a pill.

According to UNAIDS data, there are about 190,000 persons living with HIV in the Philippines.

Of the figure, 120,000 persons living with HIV or 65 percent know their status.