By Agedah Ebizimo
The stigma, shame and discrimination associated with HIV has constrained people from testing to ascertain their status, the good news is that there exist a HIV Self-Test Kit that can be used from the privacy of your home.
With the coming of COVID-19 and other public health issues taking up the media space, issues of HIV/AIDS seem to be receiving less attention from the public particularly as it is no longer life threatening but many persons are still living with HIV and many others are dying of HIV related illnesses.
Many persons still find it difficult to visit health facilities to access HIV services due to various reasons ranging from inadequate knowledge of the benefits of knowing your HIV status, non charlant attitude, low risk perception, stigma and discrimination among others.
However, HIV Self-test kits are now available for all. It is a rapid test that can be carried out in the privacy of your home and can produce effective results for you to know your HIV status.
According to the National HIV Self Testing and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Communication Strategy 2021, the World Health Organization, WHO launched the guidelines on HIV Self Testing, HIVST during the 2016 World AIDS Day highlighting the use of HIVST as an additional approach to HIV testing services.
“The availability of HIVST helps to increase awareness of HIV infection for people who would not otherwise get an HIV test.”
HIV Self-Test involves collecting your own specimen using a rapid test kit. You can read and interpret the test results by yourself following the instructions given.
This test is quite beneficial for those who are at high risk of contracting HIV such as commercial sex workers, injecting drug users, men who have sex with men and those in confined places who are referred to as the key population due to their risky lifestyles.
Knowing your HIV status using the HIV Self-test kits is beneficial to your health and wellness as it enables you to make early decisions about your life.
Know that if your HIV test is negative, you can be confident that you do not have HIV but you should take steps to protect yourself and go for a second test after three months.
An HIV positive test is not the end of life. People living with HIV can live a normal life when placed on proper treatment. With enrolment in treatment known as anti-retroviral therapy, ART, a person can live for several years without noticeable symptoms.
Major advances in treatment options in the last few years have shown that HIV is not likely to cause AIDS and death as in the past. Many people currently living with HIV are in successful long-term relationships where they receive love and support from their partners.
Remember that HIV is not transmitted by touching, hugging, shaking hands, eating, sharing drinking glasses, sharing towels or playing with an infected person. It is also not transmitted by sharing space, toilet facilities, mosquito bites, tears, saliva, sweat or urine of an infected person.
Having unprotected sexual activity with an infected person still remains the highest mode of transmission so safer sex should be practiced by all particularly young persons who are more at risk. You can get HIV Self Test kits in any pharmaceutical shop to know your status. Getting tested is the only way to know your HIV status.
Do you know about PrEP for HIV negative persons
Pre-exposure Prophylaxis simply called PrEP is a medication that can be used by those who are HIV negative to prevent the acquisition of HIV.
PrEP is still a relatively new HIV innovation in Nigeria but it was approved in 2016 as an additional HIV prevention method.
The World Health Organization has proven that PrEP is effective in preventing HIV hence more persons need to be aware that it exists and should be used. It recommends that PrEP should be offered as an additional prevention choice for people at substantial risk of HIV infection.
Despite other prevention methods, PrEP is still beneficial as new cases of HIV occurs regularly. You can keep yourself and your partner safe from HIV with the use of PrEP and in a case where one partner is infected, the other person can be assured of being HIV negative.
However, PrEP does not prevent other sexually transmitted diseases neither does it prevent pregnancy. The consistent and correct use of condoms are recommended for other sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.
It comes with very minimal side effects which subsides within a short period but the advantages of using PrEP are more and the desire to stay negative should outweigh the fear of its side effects. Prevention and Treatment services for HIV are improving but there is no cure. Let us show care and support for People living with HIV. Stop the stigmatization and discrimination.
All stakeholders in the HIV response such as health care providers, health officials, government, private organizations, community and religious leaders, management of correctional centres’, media organizations, policy makers and others should play their part in creating avenues for the public to have access to the use of PrEP
However, HIV Self-test kits are now available for all. It is a rapid test that can be carried out in the privacy of your home and can produce effective results for you to know your HIV status.
.Ebizimo is an Information Officer, Bayelsa State Agency for the control of AIDS BYSACA
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