Six new cases of HIV have already been registered from March to October this year. According to documentation, it appears that they are infected this year. There are also young people in between, says Ethel Pengel, chairman of the Double Positive Foundation. “Prevention is better than cure. There is the Lobi Foundation, there is a doctor you can go to, where you can be referred for contraception, ”says Pengel.
She indicates that there are still people who know that they are infected and still do not use a condom. It can be both men and women. There are men and women who know that they are infected with HIV or have a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and still have unsafe sex with others. “I want to warn them: if you love yourself, you will make sure that you also protect yourself, because the consequences are incalculable.”
Pengel also says that due to the COVID-19 situation, among other things, medication such as anti-AIDS drugs is not available on a regular basis. People always have to switch, with all the consequences that entails. She explains that someone who, for example, drinks one type of inhibitor for three years and receives another because one combination has disappeared, must, as it were, start a new battle to get the body used to the new medication.
“Some people want to give up because they don’t feel any taste in their mouth or they get nauseous. So yes, I want to warn everyone. When you live with HIV, it is no fun. So be careful. Because 99 percent of our health is in your own hands, it is your responsibility. You shouldn’t say yes, but my friend didn’t have that condom, because you know in advance what you’re going to do. So make sure you always protect yourself. ”
One of the most efficient ways to protect yourself from being infected with HIV is to use condoms. Pengel says he has noticed that condoms have become scarce and more expensive recently. She was therefore extra happy to receive a number of boxes of condoms from Intermed Caribe, one of the companies of the Intermed Business Group, today, World AIDS Day. Giving back to the community is part of the company’s corporate responsibilities.
Yesterday, the world focused on the millions of people who died of the HIV / AIDS epidemic over the past four decades. It is also a day when the world community pays extra attention to all the efforts that have been made to stop the HIV epidemic.
For example, the United States of America, through its PEPFAR program, was able to test more than 79.6 million people worldwide for HIV last year. They have also supported life-saving ART for nearly 15.7 million men, women and children as of September 30, 2019.
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