Last November 6, when I opened my facebook account, I was surprised to see a tagged picture of my ex-boyfriend with the caption, “You will be missed.” It got me curious, which lead me to opening his profile. There was a flood of messages from his friends, and I searched for answers.

“Tinago nya sa family nya na may nararamdaman na pala syang sakit.”

(He kept his sickness hidden from his family.)

“Severe na pneumonia nya, and nagka-complications na din sa ibang internal organs nya.”

(He had pneumonia, and there were complications to his other internal organs.)

“Na-confine siya October 31. Magka-text pa kami November 3 pero wala syang sinasabi.”

(He was confined October 31. We were texting last November 3, but he didn’t tell me he was in the hospital.)

“I told him to be safe always, and to seek treatment. I don’t get it why it slipped him.”

I cannot make conclusions based on the above mentioned statements. What I have are mere speculations. But being an ex-boyfriend, I’m pretty conclusive that everything that we did sexually was unsafe. That happened four years ago. Who knows, maybe he was unsafe too with his succeeding sexual partners. On my part, I was amiss with my sexual behavior as well that’s why I got HIV.

We met several times early this year. I was on night shift, and I was walking towards the hospital. He saw me, and invited me for tea before my duty. Coincidentally, our workplaces were near each other, which eventually lead to us meeting several times after. The last was March when we had dinner; a celebration as I was supposed to go abroad for work.

I was deeply saddened by his death because he is the reason why I was able to work in Manila. He visited me twice in the province before, and when it was my turn to visit him, he pitched in the idea of me working there. In fact, during that time, there was an opening in a big hospital. Unfortunately, we parted ways several months after I was employed.

Alvin (not his real name) lived a secret life. He has always considered himself simple, yet his family, grand. I have been to his place of residence, which is far from how he described it to me. It didn't matter to me. In the duration of our relationship, I have discovered the lies he made about his family. I didn't mind. If it was his way of coping with stress, crisis, and struggles, it was fine with me for as long as he does not do anything destructive towards me or other people. Most, if not all, of us have secrets, anyway.

But besides all that, he was a great friend. He was a person full of energy, enthusiasm, and ambition. He was full of life. Swear, I haven’t seen him looking sad, crying, or in despair. He was always positive about everything. He was hands-on to his friends as well. He accompanied me when I applied in the hospital. And he did similar things to his other friends too. Like me, he also dreamed of working abroad. He talked fondly of how he wanted to better the lives of his mother and brother.

Alvin is gone now. I may not have the documents to determine the real cause of his death, nor the authority to confirm anything, but one thing is certain, he passed away leaving unanswered questions to everybody. We talked about anything and everything before, but we failed to talk about HIV.

Alvin was a charming, good-looking, young man full of ambition and it’s sad to say that all that he has planned or aimed for were not fulfilled because of his early demise. I can always reason out that we were not aware of the existence of HIV in the country. We did not know that there was a rise in HIV cases back then. Condom-buying is not common, and we have that preconceived idea that all we get when buying one are dagger stares from store attendants and other store patrons. I have never heard of any campaign against HIV back then, or maybe we were just busy with a lot of other things.

One lesson that should be learned from Alvin’s death is that, HIV should be taken seriously. To all people out there, especially the youth, you will just be starting your lives after graduation. Love yourselves, protect yourselves, and fulfill your dreams by preventing the transmission of HIV. Talk about it; make others become aware of it so that safe sexual behavior is practiced. Life with HIV is a struggle, emotionally and physically, so while you are in the know, do your part and help lead others towards the safe direction.

Los Angeles - US porn film producers vowed Wednesday to go to court to challenge a decision by Los Angeles County voters requiring actors in adult movies to wear condoms while performing on set.

The Free Speech Coalition, which describes itself as "the adult product and entertainment industry's trade association," said forcing actors to wear condoms would make porn filmmaking "untenable."

"Besides the obvious excessive costs of compliance, FSC and the industry have a number of concerns with the law itself," it said in a letter following a referendum measure approved by California voters Tuesday.

"We believe that the law is not only unconstitutional on the grounds of forced expression, but also falls within the jurisdiction of the state of California rather than the local government.

"Therefore we will file suit and challenge this intolerable law in court," it said, adding: "The law, as passed, is untenable for adult production."

LA County voters backed the condom initiative Tuesday, after campaigners gathered over 360,000 signatures to force the issue onto the ballot the same day as White House and Congressional elections and over 170-state-wide polls.

The multi-million dollar US adult movie industry, which is largely based in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, has argued that fewer viewers would want to see porn films with actors using condoms.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, one of five groups which spearheaded the poll push, welcomed Tuesday's poll result, in which 55.9 percent of voters backed the condom-use proposal.

The decision was "a major referendum on the subject of safer sex," the Foundation's president, Michael Weinstein, told the LA Times newspaper.

Last year, California filmmakers were forced to suspend production temporarily, after an actor tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, the latest such disruption to the industry.

Film L.A. Inc., which issues permits for film companies shooting in the West Coast city, said about five percent of the 45,500 permit days the agency issues per year are for pornographic film shoots.

Source:

Agence France-Presse 

via interaksyon.com

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines

In September 2012, there were 316 newly HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 25% higher compared to the same period last year.

Mos of the cases (96%) were males. The median age was 28 years (age range: 16-70 years). The 20-29 year (57%) age-group had the most number of cases. Fifty four percent (170) of the reported cases were from the National Capital Region.

Reported mode of transmission were sexual contact (312) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (4). Males having sex with other males (82%) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most (97%) of the cases were still asymptomatic at the time of reporting.

AIDS Cases

Of the 316 HIV positive cases, ten were reported as AIDS cases, all were males. The median age is 24 (age range: 16-49 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (6 homosexual, 1 heterosexual, and 3 bisexual). There was no reported death for this month.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)

Forty-two of the 316 (13%) reported cases were OFWs. There were 38 males and 4 females. The median age was 32 years (age range: 24-61 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (17 heterosexual, 13 homosexual, and 12 bisexual).

Geographic Distribution

In September 2012, bulk of the new HIV cases came from NCR, Region 4A, Region 7, Region 3, and Region 11. The three highest reporting regions were NCR, Region 4A, and Region 7.

Source: 

Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry

Love Yourself, an advocacy group which aims to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS through awareness, counseling, and education, will hold a free and confidential HIV screening in Makati. The project is dubbed, Makati SEB (Screening Exclusively for Boys).

Makati SEB will be held on November 23, Friday, 5 PM to 2 AM. With regards to the details and venue of the testing, it will be sent to pre-registered participants. To register and join, please visit this LINK.

The event is part of the group's HIV Triduum, a 3-day event in preparation for World AIDS Day 2012.

I am Pinoy Positive, a young man from the Philippines living with HIV. Aside from running the halls of the hospital for more than three years as an ICU nurse, I also run half-marathons in road and trail races. I was diagnosed on March 2012 just as my career in the healthcare industry was about to take off. I was set to work abroad, but HIV did not permit me to do so.

I already received my work visa to go abroad, and my departure date was set on the second week of April. However, during my medical exam on March 29, I was diagnosed positive for HIV. My remaining two weeks in the Philippines had already been planned. However, because of the diagnosis, I was left with much confusion as to what to do with my life. I wouldn't be able to work abroad, and I had already resigned from my job which I held for more than three years. HIV deprived me of a great career and a lot of other possibilities.

I was advised not to seek treatment right away because I only had the ELISA test, an HIV screening test. I had to wait for another three weeks before the results of the Western Blot test came out. I was almost certain that I was going to be positive for the confirmatory test as I thought back to my past sexual experiences, though a little part of me hoped that the initial result could have been caused by something else.

Those three weeks of waiting for the confirmatory result were one of the most agonizing periods of my life. I had difficulty sleeping at night, and I found myself crying every time I woke up. I also had suicidal ideas. At work, I had access to narcotics and other dangerous drugs. I had thought of injecting myself with large doses of narcotic analgesics and jumping off a building. That way, I would have been drowsy as I fell, and unconscious when I reached the floor. I fear pain, and I wanted a quick, painless, and sure death.

I told myself that if ever I get hospitalized, I would secretly mix my intravenous infusion with a high dose of Valium. It would induce sleep, and I'd eventually die of overdose. I have this fear of death, yet I wanted to end my life badly.

For a time, I had thought of myself as invincible. Why would I fear anything when I was sure of dying in the first place? I chose to walk home from work even if it was already in the wee hours of the morning, unmindful of possible robbers. I invited danger. I told myself, it is more of a sin to end my own life than for others to end  my life for me.

In every suicide attempt though, what kept me from doing the deed was my family. How can I ever abandon my younger brother, who even in our 20's, would still invite me to play arcade games with him in the mall just like in our younger years? And my mother who chose to be away from her family to work abroad? And for the record, she has worked for more than 30 years in the Middle East.

No one from my family and friends knows that I have HIV. But deep in my heart, I know I have already disappointed them for allowing myself to contract the disease, and I would just hurt them even more if I let HIV rule my life. I acknowledge that I made numerous mistakes in the past, but I would not allow HIV to dictate how my new life would be.

After a certain period of time, I started blogging, and created alternate accounts in twitter and facebook. I have interacted with fellow pozzies, and got inspired by how they have handled their lives, and eventually became successful, especially in their careers. They made me realize that although the journey would not be a walk in the part, it would be beautiful in the end.

In one gay social networking site, I created an account with the aim of making fellow Filipinos aware of the increasing number of HIV cases in our country. I especially encourage HIV testing, and was surprised to receive replies from people asking me where to get themselves tested. And I do get pleased when I receive messages that their results turn out non-reactive to HIV and other STIs. Recently, there were a couple who tested positive, but were still thankful for the early diagnosis. They are currently under treatment in an HIV hub.

Today, I am picking up the pieces. Slowly but surely, I know I will be in track once again. HIV is just a tiny bump in my life. My journey still continues, and life has still lots to offer. Being positive with HIV, ironically, brought a lot of positivism into my life.

This is my second article with PositiveLite.com, Canada's online HIV magazine. Visit their site by clicking HERE for valuable stories, news, and other information related to HIV and people living with it.

My second article can be accessed in their website through this LINK.

Online social networking contributes tot he rise in the cases of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in the country, according to a study conducted by the Department of Health.

The mushrooming of social networking sites, which cater to people looking for sex partners, has been pinpointed as one of the major factors in the rise of HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines. Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the National Epidemiology Center (NEC), told a seminar for media on HIV/AIDS Thursday.

Citing a study that the Department of Health conducted last year, Tayag said online social networking sites are creating new opportunities, particularly for men having sex with men (MSM), to meet sex partners.

"Through online networking sites, MSM can meet without fear of negative social consequences," he said.

With the Internet increasing the rates of risky behavior, online social networking can now be included as an evolving risk factor for HIV/AIDS, Tayag said.

Health authorities list the risky behaviors contributing to the rise of HIV/AIDS in the country as not using condoms, multiple sex partners, men having sex with men, and injecting drug users.

The study covered 180 MSM respondents. Of the 19- respondents, 124 admitted to using online networking sites for dating and sex, while 133 said they had sex with people they contacted through online networking sites. Those who engaged in sex were between the age of 14 and 36.

The mode of HIV/AIDS transmission, as well as the profile of infected persons, has changed in the recent years from heterosexual intercourse to "men who have sex with men," Tayag said.

He clarified that men who engage in sex with men were not all homosexuals. "HIV/AIDS is not about being gay but about men having unprotected sex with men," Tayag said.

About 79 percent of the respondents, or 143, claimed to have used condoms during sexual encounters but majority said they do not do it consistently.

"Not consistent use of condom is also a risk factor," said Tayag.

He said one of the reasons MSM gave for not using condoms during sexual encounters was condom unavailability.

"They said condoms were not available, some said they don't like to use them. Others claimed their partners won't allow them to use condoms or they think it's not necessary to use one. A small percentage said they do not know or they forgot to use condom," he said.

Source: Tina G. Santos, Philippine Daily Inquirer

People who are positive to HIV may not have symptoms of HIV infection for 10 years or longer, but they can still transmit the infection to others during this symptom-free period. People often only begin to feel sick when they progress towards AIDS. 

Some symptoms of HIV infection are similar to symptoms of many other common illnesses such as flu, respiratory infections, or gastrointestinal infections. And for this reason, HIV Testing is the only way to know for sure if a person is infected.

Early Stages of HIV

Two to four weeks after contracting the virus, a person can experience flu-like symptoms. This stage is called Acute Retroviral Syndrome (ARS), and it is the body's natural response to HIV infection. Symptoms may include:

1. Fever

The fever, if it occurs at all, is often accompanied by other usually mild symptoms, such as fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and a sore throat. At this point, the virus is moving into the bloodstream and starting to replicate in large numbers. As that happens, there is an inflammatory reaction by the immune system.

2. Fatigue

The inflammatory response generated by a person's besieged immune system can also cause tiredness and lethargy. Fatigue can be both an early or later sign of HIV.

3. Muscle Aches and Joint Pain

Acute retroviral syndrome is often mistaken for the flu, mononucleosis, or another viral infection (even syphilis or hepatitis). The reason is because, many of the symptoms are the same, including pain in the joints and muscles.

4. Swollen Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes are a part of the body's immune system and tend to get inflamed when there is an infection. Many of the lymph nodes are located in the armpit, groin, and neck.

5. Sore Throat and Headache

6. Skin Rash

Skin rashes can occur early or late in the course of HIV/AIDS. If a person has rashes that are not easily explained or easily treated, an HIV test is recommended.

7. Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

30% to 60% of people with HIV have short-term nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the early stages of the disease. Diarrhea that is unremitting and not responding at all to usual therapy might be an indication of an HIV infection.

8. Ulcers in the Mouth

9. Dry Cough

This symptom is described as an insidious cough that could be going on for weeks that does not seem to resolve.

10. Night Sweats

This is similar to the hot flashes that menopausal women suffer. Night sweats are also hard to dismiss given that they soak your bedclothes and sheets.

Chronic or Latency Phase

After the initial infection and seroconversion, the virus becomes less active in the body, although it is still present. During this period, many people do not have any symptoms of HIV infection. This period can last up to 10 years or sometimes longer.

AIDS

At this stage, many people begin to suffer from fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, night sweats , and even wasting syndrome. Many signs and symptoms of AIDS come from opportunistic infections which occur in patients with a damaged immune system.

Reference:

aids.gov
nlm.nih.gov
health.com
pnac.org.ph

MODES OF TRANSMISSION

There are five body fluids that can transmit HIV, namely:

• Blood
• Semen (including pre-cum/pre-ejaculatory fluid)
• Vaginal/Cervical fluids
• Rectal/Anal fluids
• Breast milk

Note: Feces, saliva, nasal fluid, urine, vomit, tears, and sweat  DO NOT contain enough HIV to infect a person, unless they have blood mixed in them and that a person has significant and direct contact with them.

HOW IS HIV TRANSMITTED?

HIV is spread through body fluids primarily by:

1. Unprotected Sex (vaginal, anal, oral)

Vaginal and and sex are both high risk if no condom is used, and considered low risk if a condom is used. Oral sex is a lower risk activity, with or without a condom. Body fluids deliver the virus into the bloodstream through microscopic breaks in delicate lining in the vagina, vulva, penis, rectum, or mouth.

2. Sharing Needles (illicit drugs, steroids, tattoos, piercing)

Sharing needles through injection puts a person in contact with blood. Needles or drugs that are contaminated with HIV-infected blood can deliver the virus into the person's body.

3. Occupational Exposure

Those who have the greatest risk for this type of HIV transmission are the healthcare workers. HIV-infected blood or other fluids come in a contact with a healthcare worker through needle sticks or cuts. They can also get infected when the infected fluid gets splashed into their eyes, mouth, or into an open sore or cut.

4. Mother to Child Transmission (breast milk; during gestation and delivery)

Babies have constant contact with their mother's body fluids (amniotic fluid and blood) through pregnancy and childbirth. After birth, infants can get HIV from drinking infected breast milk.

5. Receiving Blood or Blood Products (blood transfusion)

This mode of transfusion is a result of a blood transfusion with infected blood, or an organ transplant from an infected donor.

COMMON MYTHS:

HIV CANNOT be transmitted from casual contact, which includes:

• Kissing
• Hugging
• Shaking Hands
• Sharing Food and Utensils
• Toilet Seats
• Mosquito Bites

References:

aids.gov
cdc.gov
pnac.org.ph
aidsguelph.org

The convention, which was previously announced to be a two-day event, has been set to a single day: October 19, 2012. The venue is still at The Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Manila.

The following transcript is taken from the fb page of the AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc., as well as their online event invitation:

AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc. cordially invites you to its 12th Philippine National Convention on AIDS this October 19, 2012 at The Bayleaf Hotel, Intramuros, Manila.

TOPICS:

Medical Response: Is it Treatment or Cure?

• Patient Zero: The Berlin Patient
• Understanding HIV Treatment (Anti-Retroviral Therapy)
• Nursing Care

Social Response

• Understanding Most-at-Risk Population
• Men having Sex with Men (MSM), Social Media, and HIV

Innovation in Prevention

• The Doctor's Call: Provider-Initiated Counseling and Testing
• De-stigmatizing HIV Testing
• Addressing Risks in Sexual Behavior via Red Light Special

Local Response

• Making Partnerships Work
• HIV and AIDS Interventions among Business Process Outsourcing
• Corporate Social Response

Please send scanned copy of deposit slip via fax or email:

(02) 376-2546 or info@aidsphil.org

On-site Registration Fee:                     P 1200

Member On-site Registration Fee:      P 1000   

Students:                                                P   500 

Mode of Payment:

• Cash
• Check: payable to AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc.

Account Name:              AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc.

Bank Name:                   BPI-Timog Branch

Account Number:           0271-0357-64

You can contact AIDS Society of the Philippines, Inc. through:

(02) 376-2541

aidsphil.org

facebook.com/aidsphil

twitter.com/aidsphil

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines

In August 2012, there were 272 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 39% higher compared to the same period last year.

Most of the cases (95%) were males. The median age was 28 years (age range: 18-60 years). The 20-29 year (59%) age group had the most number of cases. Fifty-one percent (138) of the reported cases were from the National Capital Region (NCR).

Reported modes of transmission were sexual contact (253) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (19). Males having sex with other males (86%) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most (93%) of the cases were still asymptomatic at the time of reporting.

AIDS Cases

Of the 272 HIV positive cases, twenty were reported as AIDS cases, all were males. The median age is 30 years (age range: 21-46 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (11 homosexual, 4 heterosexual, and 5 bisexual). Of the AIDS cases, there was one reported death for this month; a 41-year-old male.

Overseas Filipino Workers

Twenty-five of the 272 (9%) reported cases were OFWs. There were 18 males and 7 females. The median age was 32 years (age range: 22-58 years). All acquired the infection through sexual contact (10 heterosexual, 10 homosexual, and 5 bisexual).

Geographic Distribution

In August 2012, bulk of the new HIV cases came from NCR, Region 4A, Region 7, Region 3, and Region 11. The three highest reporting regions were NCR, Region 4A, and Region 7.

Source: 

Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry

Puerto Galera

I first heard of Puerto Galera from the early 2000 indie movie, Duda (Doubt).  Some of the scenes were shot there, and from what I saw, it’s similar to the gay scene in Malate. When I transferred to Manila in 2009, I’ve been curious to go to these places.

It was Holy Week in 2011 when I finally went on a trip to Puerto Galera. I worked on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in order to secure rest days on Saturday and Sunday. My gay friends were already there as early as Thursday, and I brought along a female friend when we went there on Saturday morning.

How to Go There

Puerto Galera, by the way, is the northwesternmost municipality in Oriental Mindoro. If you are travelling from Manila, you take a JAC Liner bus (located near Taft MRT station) that will take you to Batangas pier, which is the last stop of the bus. Travel time is around two hours, and bus fare is less than 200 pesos.

There are actually four major points of Puerto Galera: Sabang Pier, Muelle Pier, Balatero Pier, and the most popular of them all, the White Beach. Secure a ticket from any of the shipping companies there that traverse to White Beach. Travel time is around 45 minutes.

But of course, the two paragraphs above are common knowledge to the LGBT community. And a friend once told me, “Every gay man has gone, at least once, to Puerto Galera.” I disagree a bit, but then again, for sure, every gay man has heard of Puerto Galera, or heard personal accounts from their gay friends what happens in the place especially during Holy Week.

White Beach

When we arrived in White Beach, the very first thing I noticed is how thick the crowd is. I didn’t expect that the stretch of the beach is not that long, but the hotels and inns are just too many. I actually thought of it as a mini-Boracay: very popular which makes it very crowded, which in turn makes the stretch of the beach appear shorter.

There are also a lot of restaurants there. Some offer steeply-priced food while others serve budget meals. Activities that you can do there include banana boat ride, volleyball, frisbee, skim board, jet ski, island hop, or simply, people watching. My group even tried the famous Mindoro Sling together with our lunch. Hehehe!

Hot bodies abound Puerto Galera, mostly males. Hahaha! At least, all the hard work in the gym paid off for those who flaunted what they have. To which a part of me decided to hit the gym when I return to Manila (I jogged instead, but still did not achieve the Galera bodies of others. Hehehe!).

I was also surprised to pass by a kiosk which offers free HIV testing (sadly, our group did not pay attention to it). And at night, some advertisers gave away condoms.

Galera Nights

We slept mid afternoon after the late lunch since the Mindoro Sling got us a bit buzzed. We had a quick dinner immediately after we woke up, and I couldn’t understand the excitement of my companions as we head to the beach front for the night party.

Well, I finally understood it as we arrived in the beach front. The bars and restaurants had their own shows, from spectacular fire dancers to impersonators to live bands, but the crowd seemed to be united as they danced on the beach to the fusion of loud music from the bars.  Galera just explodes at night time! People party there like it’s the end of the world. They danced on top of tables, hugged and kissed openly, and chattered over Mindoro Sling. It was crazy and fun at the same time!

In Manila, bars are usually closed in observance of the Holy Week. In Puerto Galera, it’s totally different. I was feeling quite ambivalent as I have been accustomed to traditional Holy Week celebration especially back in the province, and somehow, I felt that the festivity is not quite right. But then again, times have probably indeed changed. I believe that Galera is about openness and acceptance.

Love

Just like Malate, Puerto Galera has been the venue for the LGBT community to be themselves. There are no pretensions, no masks, and no need to hide. Love is everywhere in Galera: love among friends, and those in relationships. The energy is uplifting in Galera. It gave me a sense of oneness with the crowd. The music drowned all my worries. Galera made me real.

Note: the photos from this blog entry were taken last April 2011 and September 2012.

Take The Test Project is a registered, non-profit organization whose advocacy focuses on HIV education and testing. They also offer free services on HIV counseling and testing, syphilis testing, referral to HIV hubs and support groups, and training on STI, HIV, and AIDS education.


What:     Batch 11 of Basic STI, HIV, and AIDS Education Training

When:    9AM to 7PM, September 22, 2012 (Saturday)

Where:   Positive Action Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PAFPI)
                2613 Dian Street, Malate, Manila


Please contact Mr. Jay Young at 0917-8909131 for details and other registration information. Visit also their facebook account at facebook.com/takethetest