Stop the Spread of HIV Infection, Blow the RED WHISTLE! *

"7 new HIV cases a day in one of the 7 countries with growing numbers of HIV cases in the world, with 7 billion people. "

Today, December 1, is World's AIDS Day. LEt us be reminded of the alarming situation. In the Philippines, six new infections are recorded everyday, an exponential leap from the ‘low and slow’ character of the epidemic before 2007. While most of Asia's rate is slowing down, ours is facing an alarming rise in HIV infection.

There are also reports of undocumented HIV-related deaths, a manifestation of the invisibility of the epidemic and its impact. Evidence indicates that the increase is driven by the lack of awareness and appreciation of the risks of HIV infection due to unprotected sex, which is aggravated by fear and stigma that surround the virus and the people living with HIV and AIDS.

What is The Red Whistle

The Red Whistle is a response to this alarming situation. The emerging trend shows that the current prevention programs are insufficient, and the communities affected by the epidemic must be mobilized into action to support initiatives that aim to stop the epidemic.

The Red Whistle has three objectives:

• Raise awareness on the situation to encourage community action
• Deliver safer sex messages designed to reach communities affected by the epidemic
• Help facilitate access or referral to HIV services, including HIV testing, treatment, and support services.

The Red Whistle aims to empower and inspire people to come together and help each other in this battle against HIV and AIDS. The Red Whistle hopes to reach those objectives through online and social media efforts, visual arts and rebranding through the red whistle. We hope to engage individuals and groups to HELP sound the alarm in their respective communities that HIV is here and that it must be stopped.

Currently they have produced a thousand red whistles which are being given out to individuals and organizations and at the same time getting their pledges and their commitments in the battle against HIV and AIDS.

The Red Whistle campaign is also a collaborative platform for artists/individuals/groups to come together and create new visuals and mediums that can be used as awareness campaign materials and to hopefully collaborate with brands to come up with items that can be in line with our campaign.

As a blog, Good News Manila is doing it's share in spreading the word through blogs and social media. My photo above is from The Red Whistle supporters and bloggers night held at Black Bird in Kamagaong, Makati City with Project Headshot Clinic last September 2011.

A more updated and current campaign is the Project Headshot Commit which focuses on commitment and taking the test.

Stop the Spread of HIV Infection, Blow the RED WHISTLE!

The Whistle

Each red whistle reads "No more AIDS-Related deaths, Stop hiv spread now, together we can" and I believe... together we definitely can!

For the latest statistics please divert to http://www.pnac.org.ph/uploads/documents/publications/NEC_HIV_April-AIDSreg2011.pdf

The 5 pointers of The Red Whistle ASL-VC
(on each whistle you will see 5 dots that should remind you of these)

1. There is an ALARMING situation on HIV and AIDS... and we need you to help us sound an alarm. (6 new HIV cases are reported every day, and of these, 4 cases are among gays/MSM)
2. We should know our STATUS and that we need to take the test, it’s not a death sentence anymore.
3. Value life, LOVE life, love yourself (Let’s get rid of the “bahala na” culture, AIDS goes beyond death)
4. That we are all VULNERABLE, all of us can be at risk, we need to learn more about HIV prevention.
5. We need to make our COMMITMENTS now... by wearing this, you commit yourself to the battle/fight against HIV and AIDS (by doing the other four pointers)

*All Text based from the Red Whistle Facebook page

For Voluntary Counseling and Testing:

www.facebook.com/takethetest
+63917-58HIVRT / +63917-5844878

Wood Water Center for Healing (St. Camillus)
+63906-4720397 / +63929-7739008
woodwater_mi@yahoo.com

AIDS Society of the Philippines ASP
(632) 376-2541 / 410-0204
http://www.aidsphil.org/
http://twitter.com/aidsphil
https://www.facebook.com/aidsphil

PGH SAGIP Unit
02-5548400 local 3249

For Counseling and support

TLF https://www.facebook.com/TLFShare
Pinoy Plus https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001518156109&sk=info

E-mail The Red Whistle at TheRedWhistle@gmail.com

Watch this Red Whistle YouTube video of messages from Filipino Celebrities:


New Website: theredwhistle.org

Check out the new website of The Red Whistle at www.theredwhistle.org. View the TVC's [make time->media] starring celebrities such as Gretchen Barreto, Senator Miriam Santiago, Rico Blanco, Boy Abunda and many others. Find out how you can be the cure! Please watch and share! #zeroHIVph #redwhistleALERT