5 Minutes to Take Care of Your Sexual Health: The Story of Juan Antonio

With a light and quick step, Juan Antonio walks home after a long workday as a chef at a restaurant in Santa Ana, El Salvador. Known as the Ciudad Morena (Brown City), Juan Antonio thinks about how much he loves cooking and dreams of one day owning a restaurant in the city where he was born. However, his work hours are rotating and long, leaving him little time for other activities. Still, he considers himself responsible for his own health.

“I used to get my checkups at the health centers. But when I met Ernesto, he invited me to a nearby health event known as “Tour Versátil”. There I learned about HIV self-tests for the first time.” Ernesto, a prevention services agent working at Asociación PASMO in El Salvador under the USAID HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Project, kept in touch with Juan Antonio, inviting him to other events and sexual health and HIV prevention activities, including the systematic offer of HIV self-tests as a quick, safe, and confidential screening option. “I couldn’t believe the result would be ready in a minute, and it would take me only five minutes to do it, from reading the instructions and setting up a safe space, until getting the result,” Juan Antonio comments with a warm smile, as it was an excellent option for him. “I can take the self-test at home, and at any time. I’ve even done it at midnight after coming home from the restaurant.”

Juan Antonio greatly values the support he receives from Ernesto, from the guidance and assistance during his first self-test to the follow-up and continued contact he has with him to this day. He now feels confident doing it himself, knows how to interpret the result, and what to do in case it’s positive: “The kit comes with a contact information card, but I think I would talk to Ernesto. The support I’ve received from him has been immense,” he says with determination.

Nowadays, it’s easier for Juan Antonio to keep track of his sexual health.Me ha gustado mucho ser usuario de PASMO. Me gusta la disposición que tienen para mí, me siento importante. Pido información y siempre la obtengo de forma rápida”. También ha recomendado el servicio a sus amigos y los ha acompañado a jornadas de prevención de VIH en donde Ernesto les ha atendido. “Yo siempre les digo que debemos cuidarnos, porque si no, ¿Quién nos va a cuidar? “I always tell them that wemust take care of ourselves, because if we don’t, who will? This is the truth: there are no excuses. We are our own priority, so we must stay healthy,” Juan explains with a hopeful look in his eyes.