Mandaue opens center for STD patients

CEBU, Philippines - A new drop-in center for sexually transmitted diseases is now open in Mandaue City.

The facility, equipped with a waiting lounge, counseling room and testing room, is located at the Social Hygiene Clinic building within the City Health Office compound in Barangay Centro.

Costing P500,000 for its renovation, the center consists of a waiting lounge, counseling room and testing room.

With the said facility, the city is expected to reduce if not eradicate the incidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and other  sexually transmitted diseases in the city and other neighboring towns and cities.

The project is being funded under the Big Cities Project of the World Bank with the technical assistance of Asian Development Bank, Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc., Population Services International and Cebu Plus.

"This is a welcome development, it implements preventive measures as well as curative measures, a proof that if we pool our resources we can achieve something great," said Mayor Jonas Cortes in his message read by Councilor Benjamin Basiga, chair, committee on health.

Other cities like Cebu, Taguig, Parañaque and Mandaluyong are also recipients of the said project because according to Dr. Joselito Bital, a consultant at ADB, the rise of HIV in these places is alarming.

However, city health officer Dr. Edna Seno said although there have been studies conducted by other groups that the many persons in the city are positive of HIV, their office is yet to validate it through an actual survey.

Jerson See, President of Cebu Plus which was established to assist and care for HIV-positive patients, said the said drop-in center mainly caters to men having sex with men, the most vulnerable group to HIV and STDs.

See said HIV can be transmitted through sex, blood transfusion through needles and from mothers positive with the virus.

The best way of preventing it is through abstinence and being faithful to one's partner, he added.

At least 1,352 human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome cases in Cebu have been recorded from July 1995 to July 2014, the AIDS-Free Philippines said earlier.

AFP national director Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer said of the total number of cases within the 19-year period, at least 28 were recorded this year from January to July, an increase of 11 cases as compared to the same period last year.

"Practically, nagka-increase na gyud ta every year. Wala pa gani labot ang records sa Cebu City Health ani," he said.

Bullecer said lack of sustainable campaign against HIV in the country is one of the reasons that greatly contributed to the increasing number of cases every year.

"Maayo ra man ta mohimo og campaign sa sinugdanan gud. Dapat ma-sustain nato," he said.

Since 1995, Cebu has logged at least 760 cases of HIV and 392 cases of AIDS. Some 384 cases led to the death of the patient, said Bullecer.

Majority of those infected are males (897) while the rest are females (455). The age range of the patients falls between 15 to 59 years old, according to AFP's data.

Bullecer clarified though that the total number of cases reported are not merely coming from Cebu province. (FREEMAN)