What did you think of the video right now?

Have you heard or read anything about

HIV/AIDS?
What do you know about the HIV virus?
I am confident that each of you has heard
something about HIV or AIDS. However, are
you familiar with the meanings of the terms
HIV and AIDS?
Aside from that, what were your initial
thoughts when you heard about HIV? Is it an
illness that causes death, or is death itself the
result of the disease?
Hi, I'm Nur Syakirah binti Beng Selamat, and I'd
like to tell you a little bit about HIV/AIDS.
The human immunodeficiency virus, also
known as HIV, is a virus that targets the
immune system of the body. AIDS, also known
as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, can
develop if HIV is not treated in a timely
manner.
After contracting HIV, a person will always
carry the virus in their body.
However, if one receives the appropriate
medical care, HIV can be managed.
Do you have any ideas about what I'm going to
cover today based on my introduction?
Yes, that's correct.
Today, I'd want to SHARE why prevention is
better than cure in the context of HIV/AIDS, as
well as the advantages of HIV self-testing.
Now, for a little moment, I'd like to touch on
the HIV overview in Malaysia.
HIV self-testing has the potential to boost HIV
testing participation and frequency among
vulnerable groups, such as men sex with man
(MSM), who encounter several hurdles to
clinic-based HIV testing.
As HIV self-testing (HIVST) is not available in
Malaysia, there is no HIVST delivery guidance.
According to a report published by Bernama in
December 2021, the previous Ministry of
Health encouraged testing, especially HIV self-
testing. He stated that halting sexually
transmitted infections was not an
insurmountable challenge, citing Malaysia's
early success in controlling the rise of HIV cases
through injections. It is crucial to understand
the HIV treatment and prevention cascade-
accelerating components of HIVST
programmes.
Furthermore, the predicted number of people
living with HIV in 2022 is 81,942. This highest
figure indicated a rise in the PLHIV population,
with just half of those on HAART medication.
First, let me show you the graph.
Graph 1
1. HIV testing programs in Malaysia have risen
recently, as seen in this graph. It includes
static facility-based testing and community-
based testing that targets hard-to-reach
populations. COVID-19 has slowed progress
 in 2020 and 2021. HIV was found in 0.16%
of new patients in 2021. This underlined
the need to raise public awareness so high-
risk person get evaluated at least once a
year.
2. Furthermore, despite a 0.25% rise in HIV
infections, HIV testing decreased in 2018.
50% of those tested obtained a late
diagnosis.
 Analysis graph 1
We are able to draw a conclusion from this
graph,
1. People aged 13 to 64 should be tested at
least once, according to the Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). People of any
race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation
may get infected with HIV. Certain people may
be at greater risk due to high-risk behaviour
like unprotected sexual intercourse, having
multiple sex partners, and sharing drug
needles.
On top of that, gay, bisexual, and transgender
people are disproportionately impacted.
Individuals who display high-risk behaviours
should self-test for HIV as a preventative and
early strategy to avoid HIV transmission.
2.Despite the fact that HIV testing at
government public health clinics is free,
participation is lower owing to a variety of
factors including stigma and discrimination,
fear of exposing sexual or gender identity, a
lack of anonymity, and concerns about
confidentiality.
Okay, next we move to the other bar chart.
1. A graph shows that there are expected to be
92,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2020,
but only 80,428 of them are expected to know
they have HIV.
2. More importantly, only 46,931 of the 80,428
PLHIV who knew their HIV status in 2020 had
started treatment and were getting HAART
medication.
This second bar chart, we can conclude,
1. HIV prevention includes testing. Since 1985,
all government facilities in Malaysia provide
free HIV testing. The advantages of HIV self-
testing are that it empowers individuals to
make decisions about their own health,
encourages a greater number of people to
determine their HIV status, frees up resources
in testing facilities, and increases the number
of opportunities for preventative interventions.
2. In 2016, the WHO promoted self-testing as
an alternative to HIV testing centres. Due to its
simplicity, privacy, and confidentiality, HIVST
may be useful in high-risk behaviour groups
that face stigma and DISCRIMINATION. HIVST's
self-testing normalizes screening and may
encourage partner testing and reach people
who have never tested for HIV or seldom test.
These HIVST benefits highlight the potential to
close critical gaps in global HIV testing coverage
and help reach the first of the UNAIDS 90-90-
90 treatment goals—that 90% of HIV-positive
people know their status.
Subsequently, according to the World
Health Organization in March 2021, self-
testing's relevance HIV prevention involves
promoting self-testing as part of a diverse
and comprehensive HIV testing approach.
Self-testing helps governments meet citizen
demands while enhancing testing
availability.
TO SUMMATE IN CONCLUSION,
The Malaysian government must increase HIV
testing as the disease continues to
disproportionately afflict high-risk populations.
HIVST might decentralise testing, protect
privacy, and improve HIV care delivery for
significant populations.
I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE
HIV self-tests empower individuals to make
health decisions, encourage more people to
test for HIV, free up testing facility resources,
and increase preventative intervention
opportunities.
To improve the number of people who self-test
for HIV, we should run more campaigns and
urge high-risk people to self-test regularly and
seek treatment if the results are positive.
Furthermore, discussing HIV/AIDS with
community members may improve HIV testing
and need tally with ethnicity and cultural
acceptability among community members.
In Malaysia, for example, the JOM TEST
campaign encourages individuals who self-test
to connect with care and share their results
anonymously. The ultimate goal is for everyone
in Malaysia to have access to testing for
infectious illnesses such as HIV, Hepatitis C, and
others, as well as to be linked with support
services. This campaign should continue in the
future. As a consequence, the nation's
objective will be achieved.
Don’t forget!
Prevention is better than cure.
Thank you for lend your ear!
Regarding the recommendation, I would
suggest
To increase the number of individuals who self-
test for HIV, we should conduct more
campaigns and encourage high-risk individuals
to self-test frequently and seek treatment if
the result is positive.
For instance, the JOM TEST campaign in
Malaysia is encouraging people who self-test to
connect with care and share their findings in an
anonymous manner while also distributing over
3,000 self-testing devices to them for free. The
end objective is for absolutely everyone in
Malaysia to have access to testing for
infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis C,
and others, and then to be connected with
support services. This campaign should be
carried on in the future. As a result, the
nation's goal will be met.