EDITORIAL - AIDS/HIV alert

The Philippines has largely been spared from deadly viral diseases that have spread around the globe in the past decades, including SARS and AH1N1. Various theories have been given for this, the most popular of which is that the country’s polluted environment kills even deadly viruses before the rate of human infection becomes serious.

For many years this has been the case with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. As neighboring countries such as Thailand grappled with the spread of AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus that causes the disease, the rate of AIDS/HIV infection in the Philippines remained relatively low.

Health experts warn that this could be changing. Last September, the Department of Health recorded the highest-ever monthly rate of AIDS-HIV infection, with 253 new cases reported nationwide. United Nations health experts have warned that the Philippines is crossing over from a “low and slow” rate of AIDS/HIV infection to a growing one that could reach epidemic proportions if left unchecked.

The 253 cases in September were much higher than the 153 cases recorded in the same period last year. The figure brought to 7,684 the total number of Filipinos registered as HIV cases, with 83 percent of the new cases in September traced to male-to-male sexual transmission, according to the Department of Health. Drug users who shared needles also accounted for 27 of the cases. More than half of the 253 cases were reported in Metro Manila, with 95 percent of the patients males with a median age of 27.

Anti-AIDS/HIV advocates have warned that the figure could be higher as many cases are not reported or wrongly diagnosed, particularly outside Metro Manila. The record-high cases reported in September could spell difficulty for the country in achieving Millennium Development Goal No. 6, which is to reverse and stop the spread of AIDS/HIV.

Potent drug cocktails have been developed to slow the spread of HIV, but prevention is still the best weapon against the disease. Sustained information campaigns on safe sex and the disease are needed, especially among vulnerable sectors. Support groups have been formed to assist those who have been infected and erase the stigma associated with the illness. With the rate of HIV infection rising in this country, there is no room for complacency.