HIVisions – Hearing and HIV

From the booming sounds during a party to the gentle whispers from a significant other, the sense of hearing plays a significant role in making our days more vibrant. For hearing people, it is an essential to understand and appropriately respond to verbal communication. In recent years, researchers[1] in the field of HIV care has put their attention towards the hearing health of people living with HIV (PLHIV). A 2013 integrative review by Assuiti, Lanzoni, dos Santos, Erdmann, and Meirelles[2] revealed that there was not enough evidence for a direct association or implication of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and hearing loss, however they suggested to investigate the associated factors further due to inconclusive data.

Read more
Featured

HIVisions – The Gender Gap

Along with rising rates of HIV infection is the rising numbers of young Filipinos who are living with the virus – the latest HARP data shows that 28% of HIV cases were detected in people aged 15-24 years old. From 2006-2010, this particular age group contributed 25% of cases. Generally speaking, the age group contributing to the greatest number of cases is getting younger, and with the pace it is going, it is only a matter of time before the youth will be the greatest contributor to the number of HIV cases.

Read more
Featured

HIVisions – A Youth in Crisis: HIV/AIDS and Awareness

The HIV crisis in the Philippines requires urgent attention due to increasing rates of HIV infection, in contrast to a worldwide trend of plateauing or decreasing rates. Moreover, of the 26 Filipinos daily who contract HIV, 8 of them are aged 15-24 years old. The age group contributing to the biggest proportion of cases has also become younger, with the 25-34 years age group accounting for more than half of detected cases, with the 15-24 years age group trailing behind at 28%.

Read more
Featured

HIVisions – Getting the Story Out

Independent journalist and sexual health advocate Ana P. Santos works with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting6, an institution that supports journalists working on underreported issues. A two-time grantee, she has reported on migrant mothers as well as HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) in the Philippines. Her stories have been published in various international titles, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, IRIN News, and The Guardian.

Read more
Featured

HIVisions – HIV/AIDS, the Roman Catholic Church of the Philippines, and Moving Christianity Forward

The HIV crisis has gone on for four decades, and for four decades the world has struggled against it. Doctors, scientists, educators, policy makers, writers, artists — people of all walks and all colors have, in their own ways, sought to make sense of this crisis and its relationship with society. From citizens to states, from medicine to prayer, from cures to cries for reform, people’s visions of how to respond to the crisis are as diverse as the people who bear its scars. The goal of this series is to give you a glimpse of these visions: the roles people of different passions and disciplines have played in this crisis that, as of March 2016 as recorded by the Department of Health’s Epidemiology Bureau, is infecting 25 Filipinos daily

Read more