Binay wants intensified HIV information campaign

MANILA, Philippines - Alarmed by reports that the number of cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues to increase in the country, Sen. Nancy Binay has called on the government to step up its information campaign.

Binay aired her concern about a report from the Department of Health (DOH), which said the number of people afflicted with HIV was expected to exceed 30,000 by end-2014.

Citing the report of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC), Binay noted that HIV/AIDS in the country is crossing over to the general population due to the spread of the disease, particularly by female commercial sex workers.

“In the past, cases were limited to the MSM (men having sex with men) and PWID (people who inject drugs) population. But now we are bridging from the high-risk population to the general population. This is a cause for alarm,” PNAC secretariat head Ferchito Avelino said.

Based on the Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry Report of the DOH released in December 2013, there were 358 new cases of HIV in the country.

Most of the new HIV cases were reported in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Central Luzon and Davao.

According to the report, 95 percent of the cases involved males and majority of them were aged 20 to 29.

“The existence of documented incidents of HIV and AIDS presupposes the existence of undocumented incidents of said diseases,” Binay said.

Binay, who previously pushed for an inquiry into the growing number of HIV/AIDS cases in the country, said that apart from a lack of support and funding from the government, “the challenges to HIV awareness start from finding out how to increase the number of people taking HIV tests, especially among those who practice high-risk activities.”

The Association of Transgender People in the Philippines also noted that there is a misconception of HIV and AIDS in the country and this has contributed to the problem.

Binay has filed a resolution calling for a Senate inquiry on the growing number of cases of HIV and AIDS in view of increasing public awareness.

“There is an immediate need of spreading awareness of HIV and AIDS in order to address the prevalence and misconceptions, and proactively act in deterring said diseases,” Binay said.