EDITORIAL – HIV/AIDS on the rise

The week opened with a report that 772 new cases of HIV and AIDS were recorded nationwide in June – up by 56 percent from the 494 cases in the same period last year. Of the new infections, 33 HIV cases had progressed to full-blown Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, with 62 fatalities, according to the registry of the Department of Health.

DOH officials have been warning that human immunodeficiency virus infections and AIDS cases are on the rise. From an average of one case a day in 2008, the DOH registered four cases daily in 2010, nine in 2012 and 17 last year. Of the infections recorded in June this year, sexual transmission accounted for over 95 percent, with 661 cases or 87 percent involving men having sex with men. Many of the cases were reported among overseas Filipino workers, with a few involving injected drug use.

Metro Manila accounted for over a third of the new cases, followed by the Calabarzon, the Davao provinces and Central Luzon. In the first half of the year, the DOH recorded 3,929 confirmed HIV infections, with 238 progressing into full-blown AIDS and 156 dying from the disease.

The first AIDS case in the country was recorded in 1984. Since then, 26,456 HIV infections have been registered including 2,287 full-blown AIDS cases. Health personnel have confirmed 1,274 deaths due to the debilitating disease. Warnings have been raised that the infection rate has surged in recent years, with the spread fastest among men having sex with men. Health experts said infection rates were also high among workers engaged in business process outsourcing.

There is no cure for AIDS, although several drug cocktails are proving effective in prolonging lives and giving patients better health. But treatment can be costly and beyond the reach of many in the most vulnerable sectors. Other countries dealt with serious HIV/AIDS problems with the kind of urgency and resources reserved for national health emergencies. The Philippines should not wait for this public health problem to reach crisis proportions. The worrisome spike in HIV/AIDS infections calls for a more decisive response.