If there is no drastic intervention done now, the number of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will rise from an estimated 67,000 by the end of 2017 to 201,000 in 2025, according to the projected data of the epidemiology bureau of the Department of Health.
“The picture of the present epidemic shows that (the) majority of new infections are among males who have sex with males (MSM) and transgender women who have sex with males (TGW) aged 15 to 24 years old,” then Health Secretary Jean Paulyn Ubial was quoted as saying the by “Philippine Daily Inquirer.”
According to the data, half of MSM and TGW start to have sex at 16 years old while some even become sexually active at a younger age of 12. “However, intervention measures can only be made available and accessible when they are 18 years old, and their first HIV test happens later at around 22 years old. This is compounded by the findings on the initiation of treatment among people diagnosed with HIV which occurs much later at 28 years old,” Ubial lamented.
This is very alarming indeed. In the past six years, the number of new HIV infections in the country has risen by 140%, according to a recent UNAIDS report. From 4,300 cases in 2010, it went up to 10,000 cases in 2016. Today, the Philippines has the fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific region, it pointed out.
Last year, Filipinos were shocked to learn that there were 26 new HIV cases a day. But it was even more shocking when the health department issued a statement that for the first half of 2017, around 30 patients were diagnosed with HIV daily.
In Davao City, a total of 524 people had been diagnosed with HIV from January to June this year. From January 1984 to February 2016, the city was ranked fifth among the urban areas in the country with the most number of reported HIV cases.
This is the reason why the fight against HIV is among the top priorities of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte. “The RHWC has been established as one of the treatment hubs in the country for People Living with HIV and AIDS,” she said during her recent State of the City Address.
The mayor was referring to Reproductive Health and Wellness Center, which is handling cases of sexually-transmitted infections, including HIV and AIDS. The RHWC is one of the two HIV-AIDS treatment facilities in the city; the other one is in the Southern Philippines Medical Center.
Aside from helping HIV patients, the RHWC is also very active in encouraging people to be tested for HIV as treatment is available for those detected at an early stage, said a press statement released by the City Information Office.
In the past, it takes about a week before the results comes out. This waiting game has been reduced to just two to three hours now. Anyone who tests positive of HIV are given anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
Previously, the health department provided ART only to those whose CD4 count is below 200. CD4 or CD4 T-lymphocytes, according to an article, “are the cells in the body being attacked by HIV. It is the most important indicator of how well the immune system of an HIV patient is and the strongest predictor of the progression of HIV into AIDS.”
But regardless of the CD4 count, the health department will now be giving ART to HIV-positive individuals. “We want 90% of high risk tested and 90% treated,” Ubial told “Philippine Star.” “That’s the only way we can reverse (the) epidemic… This is how other countries are able to reverse the HIV epidemic in their countries.”
HIV is present in all body fluids of an infected person but is concentrated in blood, semen and vaginal fluids. Virtually, it is present in all body tissues and organs including the brain and spinal cord. It can be found in tears, saliva and breast milk although these last three are not considered significant routes of infection.
In fact, you don’t get HIV from kissing. To be infected, you need to imbibe 32 liters of an infected person’s saliva, according to Health Action Information Network (HAIN). “That would be enough saliva to fill up the gasoline tank of six-by-sic truck. And the transfer should happen in one kissing session!” HAIN said.
“A single sexual encounter can be sufficient to transmit HIV,” wrote Dr. John Hubley, author of “The AIDS Handbook.” “Although the risk from an individual sexual act may be low, the more times a person has sex, the greater the likelihood that transmission will take place. Women appear to be more at risk than men from heterosexual sex. The transmission of HIV from man to woman is believed to take place more easily than from woman to man.”
“The great majority of reason how it is acquired however is really through unprotected sex and drug use,” Dr. Jordana P. Ramiterre, RHWC chief, pointed out. “We again say that it is not who you are but what you do which poses you the risk of having AIDS.”
Meanwhile, in Cebu City, medical experts are urging media practitioners to help the information campaign against the proliferation of HIV and AIDS.
“Speaking about something that’s considered a taboo will help educate people on something they don’t know,” Dr. Helen Madamba of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center told local journalists. “This can help increase awareness, which will eventually lead to better understanding. This will also develop compassion among ourselves for those who were diagnosed with the disease.”
Like most diseases, HIV can be prevented – as easy as ABC: abstain from sex, be faithful to your partner, use condoms, especially if you have multiple partners, don’t share needles, and be educated on HIV, a health expert reiterated.
“HIV is highly preventable,” the health expert said. “The government can only provide you information, diagnosis, and treatment. But the most effective way of preventing HIV is still heavily depends on the practices of informed individuals.”
