“When I first became sick, my skin became itchy. I went to the
clinic. I went to the doctor and he said I should have a blood
test to see what was wrong. My wife went to get the result
because I was working at the time. When she returned and
told me I was HIV positive, I refused to believe her. So I went to
the doctor for myself.” Myint Soe has had HIV for more than
ten years now. “When I found out I was HIV positive, I was
really depressed and became very weak,” he said. “My wife is
strong and she said, ‘don’t worry, we can stay together and
help each other and look after each other.’”
When asked why he continues to keep his HIV status a
secret, he replied, “I’m scared how people will respond to us.”