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| (Photo courtesy of: uplb.edu.ph) |
LOS BANOS, LAGUNA – The Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV) infects 37 million people worldwide regardless of sex, age, and
gender. It is able to infect CD4+ lymphocytes which functions to defend our
body from pathogens. Furthermore, the virus is also capable of frequent
mutations which makes it all the more dangerous and deadly.
If left untreated, HIV can lead to Autoimmune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) that makes the host susceptible to a wide variety of
pathogens. The virus can be transmitted through sharing of needles during drug
use or blood transfusions, unprotected sex, breast milk feeding, and
mother-to-child transmission.
Researchers have already established the HIV life
cycle, the mechanisms of pathogenesis, how HIV interacts with its host, and the
different anti-retroviral drugs to combat against HIV. However, a cure for this
infection has not yet been found.
Globally, a considerable percentage of the
worldwide population does not know their infection status. This increases the
risk of the transmission of HIV and the severity of the infection if individuals
are HIV positive. This might be caused by a lack of knowledge and awareness,
and the stigma that comes with HIV.
This led Dr. Emmanuel S. Baja, a research
associate professor at the National Institutes of Health in UP Manila
(NIH-UPM), to initiate the HIV Gaming, Engaging, and Testing (GET) project,
taking advantage of the increasing popularity of mobile games. In the country, about
15 million active gamers are within 10 to 35 years old. This opportunity is a
solution to create awareness, spread knowledge, and break the stigma on HIV and
AIDS.
The HIV Gaming, Engaging, and Testing (GET)
project was initiated by the National Institutes of Health in the University of
the Philippines Manila in cooperation with the University Health Services
(UHS), and in partnership with Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health (VYLH) along
with different academic organizations such as The UPLB Genetics Society, The
UPLB Microbiological Society, Philippine Association for Nutrition Alpha-Omega
Chapter, and The UPLB Communication Broadcasters Society. Under the project is
a mobile game application called Battle in the Blood, or simply #BitB.
Battle in the Blood was implemented by UP Manila
in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United
Kingdom under Newton – Agham Program of the Philippine Council for Health
Research and Development (PCHRD) – Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
and Medical Research Council of the UK Government. The mobile game app is a
collection of puzzles in which players are tasked to fight different bacteria
and viruses such as HIV, Gonorrhoea, and
Herpes. Aside from the puzzles itself, the game tells eight stories about real
life scenarios about HIV and AIDS.
Last April 2 to 4 2019, the HIV GET project was
brought to UPLB in partnership with the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health.
Aside from encouraging students to download the game, free HIV counselling and
testing was also provided by the University Health Services. Educational
discussions were also given by different organizations, tackling different
perspectives when it comes to HIV. For the first day, The UPLB Genetics Society
and The UPLB Microbiological Society held a seminar about the molecular basis
of transmission of HIV. For the second day, the Philippine Association for
Nutrition Alpha Omega Chapter, discussed HIV and nutrition: how proper
nutrition can slow down the progress of HIV. Lastly, the UPLB Communication
Broadcasters Society gave a talk about how to break free from the stigma that
comes along with HIV.
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