In Mendoza, AIDS is increasing every year and people are not being tested because of shame

According to information provided by the Argentine Ministry of Health, about 110,000 people are HIV-positive. Several studies reveal that up to 30% of people infected in the country could not know it and that 28% of people who would be able to receive treatment did not do so because, in the vast majority of cases, they did not know their situation.

The problem gets worse when cultural barriers make it difficult to talk about it because they should be taken into account in the equation. In UNCuyo, for example, exams are held every Monday for free at the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Dozens of students who wish to know their status are presented each week. However, the total university population is never covered and one of the reasons is that for many, the issue is considered a cause of "shame".

"There are prejudices," said Agustín (20), a law student who approached the Faculty of Medical Sciences Monday to take control. "Even when we came here and asked where the test was done, people looked at us differently or were ashamed to answer us," he adds.

The test is free and confidential. It takes place from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 9.30am at the Cuneo hospital (Godoy Cruz 187, City)

In fact, there is more reason to be tested than to avoid it. Anyone who has had bad without a condom can become infected, even with a stable partner. There are even ways to detect HIV even more difficult to detect, such as contact with a wound that carries the virus into the blood.

In Mendoza, according to data from April this year, more than 5,000 people are reported to be living with HIV. And although medical studies consider that the virus could be eradicated by 2030 if all the necessary precautions were taken, the fact is that today, in 2019, the percentage of the infected population is increasing.

"At UNCuyo, only 33% of students still use a condom," says immunologist Eleonora Betina Ángel, head of UNCuyo's testing program. The doctor points out that these data imply that "66% of students with risky behaviors" and that is why "it is so important to encourage testing."

Watch the video and listen to the stories of students who have had taboos to control their health and help eradicate AIDS.

The test is free and confidential. It takes place from Monday to Thursday from 8am to 9.30am at the Cuneo hospital (Godoy Cruz 187, City). In UNCuyo, the program is only for students, teachers and university staff. In the latter case, the tests are carried out from 9h to 11h at the Faculty of Medical Sciences and the delivery of results is immediate.