On the eve of World AIDS Day, an important conversation took place at the Rivne Medical Academy — honest, open, and truly needed.

We were visited by a public health specialist from the Rivne Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Daryna Sokol, an epidemiologist, Karina Onopriichuk, and the head of the training center, Nataliia Fesovets, together with the charitable foundation “Our Future.” But it was not a dry lecture, but a live meeting of doctors with future doctors — with dialogue, questions, examples, and real stories from practice.

We talked about what concerns everyone:

— how HIV is actually transmitted,

— how not to be deceived by myths,

— why testing is not a shame or a sentence, but a simple responsibility for oneself,

— and how future doctors can resist stigma now, simply with their attitude.

Hepatitis B and C were also discussed - also without moralizing, but in a language familiar to students: what you should know, how to protect yourself and where to turn.

And the most pleasant thing is that young people did not just listen - they acted. In particular, students had the opportunity to undergo anonymous HIV testing immediately after the event.

We thank the partners for the sincere conversation, and the students for their openness and willingness to ask uncomfortable but important questions.