# Yana Panfilova's HIV Journey

> Yana Panfilova, a Ukrainian teen with HIV, founded a youth-led movement to end stigma and improve HIV care across Eastern Europe.
- Title: Yana Panfilova's HIV Journey · vice | Shortify
- Summary: Yana Panfilova, a Ukrainian teen with HIV, founded a youth-led movement to end stigma and improve HIV care across Eastern Europe. Yana Panfilova, 14…
- Keywords: yana panfilova, teenergizer, hiv, unstoppables, eastern europe, central asia, youth advocacy, mental health, hiv stigma, united nations, news, culture
- Source: vice — https://vice.com/en/article/from-stigma-to-strength-the-unstoppable-journey-of-yana-panfilova
- Author: VICE Staff
- Published: 2026-10-19T14:46:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: yana panfilova, teenergizer, hiv, unstoppables, eastern europe, central asia, youth advocacy, mental health, hiv stigma, united nations, news, culture
## HIV Diagnosis at 10
Yana Panfilova was 10 years old when her mother told her she had HIV.

> I didn’t know anything about HIV, only that Freddie Mercury died of AIDS
## Stigma from Family
Her grandmother told her not to tell anyone because people would hate her.

> Don’t tell anybody because everybody will hate you
## School Discrimination
She saw a classmate living with HIV face beatings and expulsion threats.

> She was so angry and upset. She was biased because in our schools, nobody provided the right information about HIV and AIDS
## Public Disclosure at 14
Panfilova publicly disclosed her HIV status at her first press conference in Moldova when she was 14.
## Teenergizer Founded
In 2015, Panfilova established Teenergizer, a youth-led HIV awareness organization.
## 156,000 Reach
Teenergizer reached 156,000 young people through online psychological counseling.
## UN Address
In 2021, Panfilova spoke at the UN for 38 million people living with HIV.
## Legal Studies
Panfilova is studying Global Law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
## Key takeaway

Yana Panfilova, 14, publicly disclosed her HIV status and founded Teenergizer to empower young people affected by HIV.