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.

“Since we can now practically prevent HIV — both from being contracted and transmitted — we can promote the message that it's okay to get tested,” Rosadiño explained in Filipino.

“If you are negative, use prevention options to avoid contracting HIV. If you are living with HIV, access treatment to prevent transmitting it to others,” 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.

“We want to remove the stigma or shame attached to being someone living with HIV,” Rosadiño said.

“Having an illness doesn't just bring physical pain; it also brings shame, stigma, or embarrassment when interacting with others, dating, or possibly getting married. This is what our treatment aims to address… we give them hope that they can live a normal, healthy 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.