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The advocacy group Action for AIDS
(AfA) in Singapore reports that more individuals are taking anonymous HIV
tests. So far, 1,368 persons have been tested for HIV at AfA’s mobile van in
the past 11 months. Of this number, seven persons tested positive. The van
started testing in December 2011. Another site, the Anonymous Test Site, which
works at a clinic operated by the Department of Sexually Transmitted Infections
Control, tested 540 individuals during one month of this year. This clinic
conducts more comprehensive blood tests. A total of 5, 521 persons in Singapore
have been diagnosed with HIV.
Dr. Amy Khor, minister of state for
health, said that stigma and discrimination create an unnecessary barrier to
early detection and treatment of at-risk persons. She stated that individuals
may be shunned by their family, rejected by friends, or lose their jobs if it
were known that they tested positive. As a result, they are afraid of taking
the test to the detriment of their health and the increased possibility of
exposing their sexual partners to the risk of HIV infection.
To fight the fear and stigma, Tan
Tock Seng Hospital became the first public hospital to launch an HIV stigma and
discrimination campaign called the Power to Change is Within You. Banners, posters,
and stickers will be displayed around the hospital, the Communicable Disease
Centre, and clinics. Also, stories and positive experiences of HIV patients and
healthcare workers who have treated such patients will be highlighted. The aim
is to help persons with HIV think more positively and to demonstrate to the
public that persons with HIV can continue to live normal lives.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
