Negros Occ. has 20 new HIV cases

CEBU, Philippines - A total of 20 patients in Negros Occidental have been found to be positive of HIV since January to April this year.

HIV-AIDS Core Team (HACT) leader of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), Dr. Enrique Grajales said 13 of these patients are now taking the anti-retroviral drugs or ARV, five do not require medicine yet while one has been transferred to another hospital.

HACT also noted eight HIV-AIDS patients have already died from January to April, this year.

Since HACT was organized in 2008, Negros Occidental has now a total of 138 HIV patients, 21 of whom have already died, four were being located for medical follow-up while another four have been moved to other hospitals.

Grajales, in an interview over CPU Ombudsman Pamilya at Kultura tv program over Sky, said taking an HIV test in CLMMRH is totally free, including the ARV medicines.

The hospital also observes privacy on the identity of their patients by using codes while nurses provide warm treatment to clients. The need to educate the people on HIV-AIDS remains high as teenagers as young as 15 years old already get the virus, Grajales said.

National statistics show that, from 1984 to the present, there are a total of 17, 948 HIV patients in the country and cases have been growing at an alarming rate.

From the figure, 4,593 are youths from 15-24 years old, 16,036 are males, 1,901 are females, 1,652 are already AIDS cases, 66 are children while 16,296 are asymptomatic or are carriers of the virus but do not show signs of the disease yet.

He said HIV patients can still live a normal life if they take their medicines properly and the disease is still in its early stage. — (FREEMAN)