EDITORIAL - Stronger campaign vs. AIDS

Health authorities in the country are launching a stronger campaign against the deadly AIDS after noting the rapidly increasing number of cases in the past years. In the past 10 months, the number of AIDS victims confined at the state-run Philippine General Hospital has increased dramatically.

In fact, the PGH recorded at least 80 victims last November alone, causing Health officials to be alarmed. The hospital has recorded 709 cases last year compared to 528 in 2008.

According to a Department of Health data, majority of the victims are young professionals such as call center workers, who harbor active lifestyle that includes uncontrolled sexual life.

 In Cebu, AIDS has already made its presence felt since the 1990s. But health authorities cannot yet determine how widespread the disease is since no one knows the exact number of the victims. 

There might be hundreds of Cebuanos now being affected with AIDS. And the number is expected to hike further. With no drugs yet being developed to kill the virus, it will be just a matter of time before AIDS will become one of the world’s top killer diseases.

In the Philippines, the problem is that AIDS is still treated as some kind of a “forbidden” disease. Those affected are not really expected to come out in the open for fear of being ostracized.   

This explains why only few of those AIDS victims are open to discuss their situation. Since the well publicized case of Sarah Jane Salazar in the late 1980s, only a handful of AIDS victims in the country chose to go public to announce that despite their situation, they can still manage to live a normal life.       

In other countries, it’s normal for people to accept the fate of those affected with the disease. The victims can openly discuss their condition with the public without fear of losing their dignity.        

Although AIDS cases in the Philippine are still low compare to those of other countries, health authorities appear to be gradually losing the battle. The fact that the number of the victims increased dramatically is only a sign that the government seems helpless in controlling the disease.

But the battle should not be left to the government alone. The private sector and the victims themselves should also do their part. A coordinated approach against AIDS might be something we need towards containing the disease.