HIV prevention fails when we soften reality to protect institutions rather than people.

Description

Pakistan has documented four major HIV outbreaks since 2018. Public health continues to count visibility instead of risk, blame "low awareness" instead of broken systems, and design interventions for an imaginary compliant subject. This episode argues for an HIV self-testing chatbot as the rare intervention that actually accepts the terrain.

Content note

This episode contains explicit clinical content on sexual practices, drug use, and chemsex; personal disclosure of mental illness and psychotic episodes; and discussion of criminalization, stigma, and violence directed at queer people in Pakistan. The language is direct because the public health argument requires it. Listener discretion advised.

Resources mentioned in the episode

Free HIV self-testing in Pakistan

Confidential delivery of HIV self-testing kits across Pakistan, free of cost: https://quickres.org/0920

Free HIV testing and PrEP in Pakistan (WHO-collated)

WHO-collated resource list for HIV testing and PrEP access across Pakistan: https://www.emro.who.int/asd/hiv-testing-centres/hiv-testing-centres-pakistan.html

Free Crisis Support: https://taskeen.org/seek-help/

Written and narrated by Dr. Omer Bangash.

Cover Art: Zhayedan Hasan Ibn Abdul Lat by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto

Read the full written version with references:

https://obangash.substack.com/p/designing-hiv-prevention-for-a-world

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit obangash.substack.com