Ignorance Can Kill

It has been said that “Knowledge is power”. Knowing everything can save us from anything. Being aware of something can prepare us for possible challenges and being educated about an infliction can provide us caution and guidance to avoid possible risk exposures.

In the Philippines to date, it has been reported that more than 10,000 people are diagnosed with HIV infection and about 300 didn’t make it and have passed away. Those figures are FOR THE RECORD of the Department of Health (DOH). But considering those people who are at high risk of being exposed to the infection, or those people who are actively engage in unprotected sexual activities and are not undergoing HIV screening or are afraid to know that they are at risk, we can say that OFF THE RECORD, the 10,000 count is overly understated and the cases of death is not only around 300 but we should add the number of those who were diagnosed too late when they are at the gravest stage which caused their sudden death.

Sadly, the age range of people with HIV was as young as 16 years old. This means that at an early age, our youth population is exposed to the risk of HIV infection. This we can say is due to what they usually say “curiosity” and by being just “adventurous”.

As humans, we cannot easily avoid temptation. That is a fact! But we can always keep ourselves guarded and protected by being knowledgeable, responsible and accountable with our deeds. Knowing that we are sexually active, we should also know that we are at high risk of being exposed to the infection and the best way for us to keep ourselves protected is to do safe sex. Prevention is always better than cure.

Considering we don’t do safe sex and we are sexually active, then we should be so responsible to undergo frequent HIV screening for us to know if we are infected. And being responsible also includes not being promiscuous. Do not be caught off guard. Always be cautious.

What if we are responsible and found out earlier that we are infected of HIV, or that we are positive, or reactive or poz. There’s nothing best that we can do but to accept our faults and be accountable for it. Don’t blame anyone including ourselves. It’s a choice and a decision we made. And every decision entails accountability. Now we ask, is it our end in this world? NO, it’s not. Knowing our status should make us more knowledgeable, more responsible and more accountable.

What we can do now is know more about our sickness, its origin, its type, sub-type, how it is transferred, what we can do to treat it, and what we can do to live normally. Living with HIV is normal but pretending nothing had happened is not normal. The first step to bring back our life is to accept and befriend our sickness. Being more responsible includes seeing our doctors regularly for consultations, visiting treatment hubs for testing and monitoring and being more health cautious. Being more accountable includes informing our previous and soon-to-be sex mates about our status, even if the news will make them upset, it is the kindest thing that we can do for them.

Let us be aware, be educated and not be afraid before it’s too late and before ignorance kills us.