Dealing with the reality

IN serving the purpose of R.A. No. 11166 or the HIV/AIDS Policy Act of 2018, we can do a lot more that are ei­ther directed or not directed by the said law.

Recognizing that HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in our country, we can be part of the solution by doing preventive measures.

For one, what HIV and AIDS are, how one can get the virus, and what should be done to prevent infection, should be openly discussed both at home and in schools.

As information and knowledge are powerful tools in preventing and solving any problem, open discussion of HIV and AIDS will equip our people, especially the youth, in preventing themselves from being infected.

In this regard, the govern­ment, with the support of non-governmental organization and advocacy groups, can take the lead by “training” parents and teachers on HIV and AIDS.

In addition to what the gov­ernment can do, parents and teachers should also take the initiative of educating them­selves using information that are easily accessible through the internet.

All Filipinos should also be educated on how to deal with people with HIV/AIDS.

R.A. No. 11166 recognizes such aspect of the problem as it provides for the imposition of penalties for persons who will expose the identities and conditions of HIV/AIDS-infected individuals particularly in the traditional and social media.

With the new law, the Phil­ippines has also effectively adopted the policy of providing free anti-retroviral (ARV) medi­cation to control the viral load of an HIV-positive individual.

Such provision of the law is significant because the cost of such medication is a key factor that causes the worsening HIV/AIDS problem in our country.

Many will simply shy away from being tested because they know that if they test positive, they also cannot afford the need­ed medication. Those who are already infected can then pass the virus to other individuals.

The free ARV medication, aside from being a humanitar­ian service that the government should provide, is effectively an “incentive” for the essential early HIV/AIDS testing. The same is also an intervention to help HIV-positive individuals from having full-blown AIDS.

After the passage of R.A. No. 11166 what is crucial is the qual­ity of the law’s implementation by concerned government agencies, particularly the Department of Health. Equally crucial in deal­ing the HIV/AIDS reality in our country is the people’s support, participation and compliance. After all, HIV/AIDS is a concern not just of the government but of all of us.