TUCP urges DOH to address HIV epidemic
MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) on Tuesday called on the Department of Health (DOH) to declare a national emergency over the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic.
The TUCP made the call amid an increase of HIV cases among key vulnerable populations in the country.
"We are calling on the Department of Health to declare a national epidemic on the spread of HIV that leads to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Let us come out from our complacency and face this battle head on by fully implementing stand-by strategies in order to stop this growing burden. Let’s us fight the spread of disease before it gets to our children,"Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions- TUCP, said.
TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said the labor center hopes that by such declaration, the government will carry out an aggressive and surefire intervention by mobilizing its massive political and economic resources to address the spread of the virus.
In the 2014 Global AIDS Response Progress Report to be submitted by Philippine government to the United Nations, Tanjusay said the country has failed this early to meet the 2015 target of reducing HIV spread.
The report by the DOH’s National Epidemiology Center (NEC) about HIV monitoring and survey showed that out of the 1,115 sex workers (SW) tested within the first four months of 2014 alone, there are already 20 or 1.8 percent were found to have HIV infection compared with only 26 or .275 percent out of 9,797 tested for the whole year in 2012.
It also reveals that out ot 4,804 men having sex with men (MSM), 160 or 3.3 percent are found to have been infected within the first quarter of the year compared with only 90 or 1.68 percent with HIV out of 5,353 MSM for the whole year in 2012.
Among the people who inject drugs (PWID), meanwhile, 401 or 46.1 percent of 869 were infected with HIV during the first quarter of the year while only 13.56 percent or 174 have HIV out of 1,283 tested for the whole year in 2012.
The other most-at-risk and vulnerable populations are the people living with HIV, overseas Filipino workers, and partners of PLHIV, SW, MSM, PWID, and OFWs.
Tanjusay said the rate of infection will rise from the current 16 to 32 infections per day, based on the trend.
"From our point of view, it is very obvious now that HIV threat poses a clear and present danger to our people especially on key affected populations and most vulnerable sectors. Government must now aggressively intervene before it creeps out of control," he added.
He said the TUCP also received reports that there is a daily long queues of patients in popular treatment hubs and testing centers located at the Philippine General Hospital, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and the Bahay-Lingap in San Lazaro hospital in Metro Manila.
The same queues are also observed in various government clinics in Cebu and in Davao City seeking free access to testing and anti-retroviral drugs, Tanjusay said.
From 1984 to March 2014, there were 17,948 HIV/AIDS cases as recorded by the NEC.
The NEC also estimates there are at least 1.794 million cases within the same period if HIV/AIDS testing is made mandatory.
If mandatory HIV testing is implemented, the figures could be higher. However, mandatory testing is deemed unlawful by the Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act.
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