74 new HIV cases recorded in city from January - March

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Health announced yesterday that they have recorded 74 new cases of individuals infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in Cebu City just in the first three months of this year.

The new cases bring to 122 the total number of recorded HIV cases in the city since the health department started the monitoring in the ‘80s. Last year, there were only 14 cases recorded.

Dr. Ilya Tac-an, HIV/AIDS program coordinator of the Cebu City Health Office explained that most of the people infected with HIV-AIDS in Cebu City have used intravenous drugs or shared unsterilized needles.

She added that casual sex is also prevalent especially in the most vulnerable sectors of our society.

Based on their study, Tac-an said that “normally,” there are only four new reported cases every year, adding that many of the patients do not know that they are infected with the disease.

She likewise said there’s no need to quarantine the infected individuals since they can not spread the virus through ordinary contact.

HIV-AIDS, according to Tac-an can only be acquired through unprotected sexual intercourse, receiving infected blood and blood products in a transfusion or organ transplant, sharing of needles and other skin piercing instruments, and from HIV positive mother to her baby during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

AIDS is the most advanced state of HIV and the only way to know if the person is infected with the disease is through HIV antibody testing, hence, “there is no cure to AIDS,” she said.

But despite the rising cases of HIV-AIDS, Tac-an said she is against the HIV-AIDS mandatory testing as a pre-employment requirement because “it is against Philippine Law and local government units should protect families and the community.”

Republic Act 8504 promulgates policies and prescribes measures for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines, instituting a nationwide HIV/AIDS information and educational program, establishing a comprehensive HIV/AIDS monitoring system, strengthening the Philippine National AIDS Council, and for other purposes.

Still, abstaining from sex, sticking to one partner, and not engaging in extra-marital affairs, are still recommended to avoid acquiring HIV-AIDS.

Tac-an emphasized that not only the call center agents are prone to the disease but anyone with a risky behavior can get HIV-AIDS.

 “In Cebu City, we don’t give condoms left and right. The responsibility is in those people who are negative, not on those who are positive,” she said. “We focus on the behavior, not the person.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Jonathan Neil said that the HIV-AIDS vaccine and the reported condoms for women have not reached the Philippine market.

“The condoms for women are inconvenient to use, it takes skills to put on the condom,” he said, adding hat these condoms are only available in the Netherlands.

According to Philippine HIV-AIDS Registry, from January 19, 2010, there were 4,567 HIV cases reported in the country. Of the number, 3,733 (82 percent) were asymptomatic and 834 were AIDS cases. The age groups with the most number of cases were: 25-29 years (22 percent), 30-34 years (20 percent), and 35-39 years (17 percent). Seventy-one percent (2,643) were males. Sexual contact (89 percent) was the leading mode of transmission. — Marjun A. Baguio/WAB (FREEMAN NEWS)