HIV/AIDS cases to increase

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH-7) is expecting cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/AIDS in Cebu City to increase because of government interventions which include accessibility to anti-retroviral drugs and the Voluntary Counseling and Therapy (VCT) program.

In yesterday’s Kapihan sa Philippine Information Agency, Dr. Ilya Tac-an, city epidemiologist and head of the HIV/AIDS Detection Unit, said that as of September this year, they recorded 100 new positive HIV cases.

“Since last year, we have seen a rapid rise of HIV/AIDS cases in Cebu City. In 2010, there were 182 new positive HIV cases and from January to September, this year, another 100 new cases were recorded. In almost two years’ time, 282 new HIV cases have been reported in the city alone and the major cause is drug use through injection,” Tac-an said.

Though the figure may be alarming, the health department is now collaborating with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) on measures to address the issue as 82 percent of the victims are injecting drug users (IDUs).

Tac-an added that a total of 377 HIV/AIDS cases in Cebu City alone have been recorded from 1989 up to present.

From 1989 to 2009, there were only 95 HIV/AIDS cases and less than one percent is due to injectable drugs.

 Currently, the DOH-7 HIV/AIDS Registry recorded 488 cases in Central Visayas with almost 80 percent found in Cebu City with 377 cases.

Ted Teleron, DOH-7 nurse coordinator on the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Program said “our goal is not to add more new cases as we urge those high-risk groups to avail of the government’s VCT program so that they could seek treatment as well as be educated on how to prevent spreading the virus.”

The VCT program is being offered by the CCHD and the government-manned Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) under the DOH.

The VSMMC likewise is designated as the HIV/AIDS treatment hub, where people who exhibit HIV symptoms are eligible for the free anti-retroviral therapy. The free drugs are given for a lifetime which could lengthen the life of a person with HIV. – (FREEMAN)