STATUS -- The FIFTH HIV Status
By Reiner “Meow” Grospe Everyone has talked about a particular status in his or her life, be it their relationship status, their financial status, and heck people talk about their problems on their Facebook status all the time! But one thing that’s rarely talked about is one’s HIV status. Despite its relevance today it is still greatly stigmatized and has been thought of as taboo by many. This monthly column aims to help facilitate discussion on issues surrounding HIV testing and living with HIV. “Single”, “In a Relationship” and “It’s Complicated” are some of the usual relationship statuses we hear of. As social individuals, all of us have a relationship status - we’re any of the three just mentioned. Similarly, everyone has an HIV status. HIV status is usually a sensitive issue, kept confidential most of the time. Most people are mum about this topic due to the repercussions it entails - much of it due to stigma. In any case, there are four types HIV status a person may have, namely:...