A 14-year-old boy who exchanges sexual favors for cellphone load. A hardworking father working abroad. His faithful wife. A curious college student who just moved away from home, enjoying his newfound independence. A nurse. A newborn infant. A young professional who goes to parties to unwind from work. You. Me. While this may look like a totally random list of people, they all have one thing in common: Any of us may get infected with HIV, the potentially deadly virus that infects one Filipino almost every hour. Very few people, however, would bother to get tested, and we can’t really blame them. In my experience as a sexual and reproductive health educator, many young people find the idea of getting an HIV test intimidating, usually because of embarrassment, coupled with the stigma attached to HIV. Besides, what if the receptionist at the clinic happens to be a neighbor of a [...]
