Phl to focus on areas with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS

MANILA, Philippines - To reverse the rising trend in HIV/AIDS, the country will focus its program on the 72 cities and municipalities that have “high prevalence” of the disease, an official of the multi-sector Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) said yesterday.

According to Susan Gregorio, a medical staff at the PNAC Secretariat, the council deemed it necessary to aim the country’s anti-HIV/AIDS campaign on these areas to speed up the control of the epidemic and to maximize limited resources.

“Around 80 percent of our cases come from these 72 cities and towns. So as part of our investment plan, we will focus on these areas. (However) the other areas will not be neglected because we also don’t want to see cases rising there,” Gregorio noted.

Of the 72 localities, 65 percent are in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, while the rest are found in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol regions. 

“These are highly-urbanized areas and they have low condom usage and lack of services. All these factors cause an increase in cases,” she claimed.

Under the investment plan, anti-HIV/AIDS programs will include prevention, diagnostic and treatment.

“All of these will be covered. Our number one focus will be prevention and then in diagnostic of the sexually transmitted infections. The prevention will be more of education, awareness that there is available management, diagnostic or treatment. And of course, condom availability and condom usage, she added.

Gregorio complained that condom usage in the country is very low, thus contributing to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“We hope that in two to three years, we could implement this project so that by 2016, we may not be able to decrease cases but at least we can stabilize,” she maintained.

In February 2012, the Department of Health had recorded the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases on a monthly basis with 274, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 8,850 since 1984.