Manila offers free HIV testing, treatment to residents

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila city government is offering free HIV testing and treatment to its 1.7 million residents to curb the spread of the disease.

The number of HIV cases in the country has been increasing and the city is taking steps to ensure the safety of its residents, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said.

“HIV cases in the Philippines are alarming, and we are now taking action to at least prevent it from spreading,” Estrada said.

Dr. Benjamin Yson, officer-in-charge of the city health department, said the city government has acquired anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs that control HIV infection and stop the progression of the disease.

“Patients who will be diagnosed with HIV will be given treatment such as ARV drugs,” Yson said.

The city health department has been conducting HIV/AIDS information campaign in every barangay and doing free HIV tests.

“We test you, we counsel you, and we treat you. You can infect others when you are not aware and unwilling to have the test. Our approach is two-way. We initiate early treatment and at the same time stop the transmission (of the virus),” Yson said.

“The free HIV tests and treatment are being conducted at the Manila Social Hygiene Clinic in Sta. Cruz, with free screening for sexually transmitted diseases,” he added.

Based on the HIV/AIDS Registry of the Department of Health (DOH), there have been 841 new HIV cases in the country in June alone and 103 cases have developed into full-blown AIDS.

The number is the highest ever recorded in a single month since 1984 when HIV was first detected in the country, the DOH reported.

It noted that 92 percent of the cases were acquired through sexual transmissions, mainly by men having sex with men (MSM).

Yson said Manila is reaching out to more residents so the city government will know the extent of HIV infections.

“We can focus on MSMs, and I think it can make a bigger impact on the detection, prevention and decreasing transmission of the disease,” Yson said.

As chairperson of the city peace and order council, Estrada had earlier directed the inter-department body to hasten and intensify its HIV/AIDS information and awareness drive in the city’s 896 barangays and continue its outreach and counseling program.

“While the rate of HIV infections in Manila has remained manageable, the increasing number of individuals getting infected by the virus in the country is alarming and has become a major public health concern among local government units,” Estrada said.