‘Not a death sentence’ — Bakit hindi dapat katakutan ang HIV? | Need to Know
Mahahawaan ka ba ng HIV sa pamamagitan ng simpleng paghawak, pagyakap o pag-share ng pagkain? The answer is NO! ❌
Ayon din sa eksperto, hindi dapat katakutan ang HIV dahil sa pamamagitan ng tamang gamutan, hindi ito nakamamatay at maaaring hindi na rin ito makahawa. #UequalsU
For the first episode of our special series on #HIVAwareness, let’s talk about the basics of HIV and unravel the myths and misconceptions around it. #EndTheStigma
Ayon din sa eksperto, hindi dapat katakutan ang HIV dahil sa pamamagitan ng tamang gamutan, hindi ito nakamamatay at maaaring hindi na rin ito makahawa. #UequalsU
For the first episode of our special series on #HIVAwareness, let’s talk about the basics of HIV and unravel the myths and misconceptions around it. #EndTheStigma
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NewsTranscript
00:00You'll get HIV if you share food or hug someone.
00:07Gays should be the ones who get tested for HIV.
00:11You'll die if you get HIV.
00:16No one will love you if you get HIV.
00:20This is the only time I'll tell you that these are false.
00:24We'll prove you wrong information and wrong beliefs about HIV.
00:28Period.
00:30I'm Joseph Moro and here's what you need to know.
00:37Based on the latest reports from the Department of Health this year,
00:40the Philippines recorded 55 new cases of HIV per day.
00:44In addition, in the duration of 2023,
00:47the number of HIV cases in the country increased by 418 percent
00:51every year from 2010 to 2022.
00:56Some of the reasons why HIV cases are increasing
01:00are the fear of getting tested, stigma, lack of education,
01:04and false information about it.
01:07In this episode, we'll correct the false beliefs about HIV.
01:14Myth. HIV and AIDS are the same.
01:18HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
01:22And how does it affect the body?
01:24It's special as a virus.
01:26Because our body, whenever we are infected with a disease
01:30or other infections,
01:32our immune system works to fight these infections.
01:38HIV is unique because it kills the soldiers of our body,
01:43our immune system.
01:45So most people or all people who are infected with HIV,
01:50inevitably,
02:00So AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.
02:13During the early days of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the 1980s,
02:16it was one of the most affected by the gay community.
02:19Many patients could not receive proper help and treatment for HIV
02:24due to issues of poverty, racism, gender inequality, and homophobia.
02:30More than 40 years later, unfortunately, the stigma stays.
02:36Myth. Only gay men should get tested for HIV.
02:40Anybody who wants to can get checked for HIV.
02:44Anybody who has sexual encounters is advised to get tested for HIV.
02:50HIV does not choose people.
02:52It does not choose gender, age, sexuality.
02:56Anyone who is exposed to risky behaviors,
03:02risky sexual behaviors or IV drug use
03:07can get HIV.
03:11Myth. You will die if you test positive for HIV.
03:16The truth is, despite what others may tell you,
03:19HIV should not be feared anymore
03:21because this is not a death sentence anymore.
03:24At present, there is no cure for HIV.
03:27But with early detection, it means you will know earlier.
03:31Second, early treatment or medication,
03:34people living with HIV can have a normal life
03:39like many others.
03:41At present, there is no cure for HIV.
03:43We still cannot remove HIV from your body.
03:46However, we can manage it.
03:49So the drugs for HIV now are called anti-retroviral medications.
03:55And what we do is we just let the virus sleep
03:59so that it will not harm you.
04:02We just let the virus sleep
04:04so that it does not have negative effects on your body.
04:09Myth. HIV can be transmitted through casual contact
04:13such as hugging, kissing, or sharing food.
04:16No, not really.
04:18HIV is only transferred through infected blood
04:22or other bodily fluids.
04:24So it is not related to prostitution.
04:26Myth. If you have sex with someone living with HIV,
04:30you will automatically get HIV.
04:32If a person living with HIV reaches the undetectable status,
04:38it means he is no longer infected.
04:42HIV now is very easy to manage.
04:45It is not like before.
04:47Nowadays, you just have to drink one pill every day
04:51to suppress HIV in your body
04:55until you reach an undetectable status.
04:57PL HIV individuals,
04:59once they've achieved an undetectable status,
05:02they are unconsciousable.
05:04Others will say,
05:05don't have sex so that you won't get HIV.
05:09But we all know that's not for everyone.
05:11But there are ways to practice safe sex to prevent HIV.
05:16First, of course, is if you are monogamous with your partner
05:23or if you do not have sexual contact,
05:26if you avoid IV drug use or recreational drug use.
05:31But of course, we know that that's not for everyone.
05:34Some people are very sexually active.
05:36So doctors also highly encourage the use of protection
05:42such as condoms in order to facilitate safe sex.
05:46But still, even that, it's been a long time.
05:49Doctors have been trying to encourage people
05:52to use condoms for a very long time.
05:54Sometimes, it's difficult.
05:56Some condoms are not for everyone.
05:59So it's good that nowadays,
06:01we have other means of preventing HIV
06:04such as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP
06:07and post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP.
06:10So those are avenues to prevent HIV.
06:15Myth.
06:16PrEP and condoms are expensive,
06:18so it's better not to use them when having sex.
06:22PrEP and condoms are largely free
06:25and available in some government and non-government facilities.
06:29Condoms, lubes, and PrEP are free.
06:33They just visit loveyourself.ph.
06:36We'll send you a test kit so you can know your status first.
06:39And then, once you know your status,
06:41we can send it to you and schedule an appointment
06:44for a consultation for your free pre-exposure prophylaxis.
06:49It's free.
06:52Myth.
06:53You can tell if someone has HIV by just looking at them.
06:57And a big reason why sometimes it's difficult to catch,
07:02especially when people don't get tested,
07:06is because until it gets very bad,
07:08it's asymptomatic.
07:10There's a long period of time where people don't feel anything at all.
07:13So what are the symptoms of HIV that you can see?
07:19The first thing a person will feel is what we call acute retroviral syndrome.
07:25It only happens in about four to six weeks after exposure to HIV.
07:31And what a person feels is like a very bad flu.
07:37They may have a fever,
07:40they may have a sore throat,
07:42they may not be able to get up from their bed,
07:45and sometimes or often,
07:47their lymph nodes swell.
07:50But it disappears by itself.
07:53So most of the time,
07:54people don't even notice that it's already there.
07:59Then, in the meantime,
08:01people can go for a very long time without feeling anything,
08:04without any symptoms,
08:06until their body and HIV fight.
08:11HIV needs to be treated immediately so that it won't continue with AIDS.
08:15If they are not treated,
08:17HIV will inevitably win and they will enter AIDS.
08:23The first thing people feel when they are in the late stage or advanced stage of HIV
08:30is the pain that doesn't go away.
08:33It can be a lump or a lump that doesn't go away.
08:37It's hard to breathe.
08:39Usually, skin manifestations also come out.
08:44Their skin doesn't clear anymore.
08:46It becomes oily.
08:47There are a lot of pimples or other lesions.
08:50So that's the first thing a person usually feels
08:54when they enter advanced HIV or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
09:00It doesn't mean that if you have such symptoms,
09:03you automatically have HIV or AIDS.
09:06The best way and the only way for you to know is to have yourself tested.
09:20Having HIV does not make you unlovable.
09:23Many people with HIV have fulfilling relationships and families.
09:29Stigma and discrimination are our number one enemies
09:33because there is a lot of misinformation.
09:35So it's very important that you, our viewers,
09:39make sure that you have the right support, education,
09:43loving, healthy relationship that is possible for people with HIV
09:47by making sure that you know the right information.
09:51In a report by UNAIDS, it's still possible to reach the end of AIDS by year 2030.
09:58That is, of course, if the community and medical services help those who need it.
10:06According to UNAIDS, there are 39 million people living with HIV globally in 2022.
10:12But out of 39 million, 9.2 million do not have access to life-saving treatment.
10:19630,000 have died of AIDS-related illnesses in the same period.
10:24How does somebody improve their lives with HIV?
10:27I always tell my patients something very important.
10:37HIV is just a disease.
10:40It doesn't define your life, okay?
10:43You live your life as best as you can.
10:48It's the same for people with hypertension or diabetes.
10:52You do not let the disease define your entire life.
10:55So I have a lot of PLHIV patients who do anything they want.
11:00They have fulfilling careers, they have fulfilling relationships,
11:04they're very active in sports or activities or in their careers.
11:10So HIV is just a disease.
11:13Don't let it define you.
11:15So at Love Yourself, we have a motto that we call choosing kindness.
11:20So what I can say is, number one, education is key.
11:24Seek information from reliable sources and health professionals.
11:28Because a lot of people on social media are telling the untruth.
11:31Remember, understanding and compassion are the greatest tools in fighting HIV.
11:38Not judgment and discrimination.
11:42Herein.
11:50loveyourself.org