The number of people diagnosed with HIV infection in Poland in 2022 is higher than a year earlier. And that’s twice. Many infected displace this information. The diagnosis also raises concerns about the stigmatization of the environment.
- HIV is a virus that is transmitted only through secretions – infected blood and other body fluids must enter the body of another person, e.g. through wounded skin
- It is not possible to become infected with HIV by airborne droplets, for example, because the carrier sneezes
- Likewise, being in the same room with an infected person does not pose a threat
- Knowledge about HIV and AIDS in our country is still small. Hence the need for education, noticed by the Foundation for Social Education
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Fear appears in HIV positive people
A website with key information about HIV and AIDS was created at www.pozytywnezycie.eu, the Social Education Foundation announced on Tuesday.
There you can find the most important information about the virus in three languages, i.e. Polish, Ukrainian and English, as well as telephone numbers, e-mails and website addresses of the most active non-governmental organizations supporting people living with HIV in Poland.
The creators of the website emphasize that such knowledge is very necessary. In Poland, the number of HIV infections is increasing. According to the data of the National Institute of Public Health – National Research Institute, in the first half of 2022 the number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV was 880! For comparison: in the first half of 2021 there were 401 of them.
«Information about HIV infection usually evokes a lot of emotions. There is fear, disbelief, denial, but also fear for loved ones. Questions arise that often have no one to ask. Some, fearing stigmatization, are even afraid of talking to doctors. Our website is a safe space for people who may feel lost in a new situation. We answer their questions »said the president of the Social Education Foundation, Dr. Magdalena Ankiersztejn-Bartczak.
«In the event of a confirmed positive result, clients of 29 Consultation and Diagnostic Centers in Poland receive from their advisers all the necessary information about living with HIV and treatment. However, not every positive result is issued under such conditions. The new portal is to replace the advisor to people who are not able to do research in the CAC or would like to deepen their knowledge »- added Agnieszka Świderska, HIV / AIDS adviser.
«Our life has largely moved to the Internet, so we are all the more pleased with the creation of a portal with reliable and practical information on HIV in three languages, including Ukrainian. I am convinced that the website of the Foundation for Social Education will become a place where many people in need will find help »- says Paweł Mierzejewski from Gilead Sciences, the coordinator of the Positively Open program.
The website was created as part of the Academy of Positive Life project implemented by the Foundation for Social Education with funds from the Positively Open competition.
The aim of the Positively Open program is to promote HIV prevention and knowledge about the possibilities of living with the virus normally. As part of the program, a competition is organized for institutions that would like to run or already run programs in the areas of education and activation, as well as HIV / AIDS prevention and diagnosis.
The partners of the program are the President of the Capital City of Of Warsaw, the National AIDS Center, the National Institute of Public Health of the National Institute of Hygiene – National Research Institute, “Health Service”, Termedia publishing house and Gilead Sciences. (PAP)
Author: Anna Gumułka
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