Western Visayas ranks 5th for the most number of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus cases in the country with 107 reported in June 2023, while Negros Occidental ranks 3rd in the region, with 14 new HIV cases reported in the middle of the year.
The HIV AIDS Registry of the Philippines showed that from January 1984 to June 2023, there were 117,946 confirmed HIV infections in the country, with 1,518 newly diagnosed cases in June this year, a press release from the Negros Occidental provincial government said Saturday, October 29.
From one case per day in 2008, the country has an average of 49 cases per day in 2023.
All these information were discussed during the meeting of stakeholders convened by the Negros Occidental Provincial Health Office (PHO) at the Hospital Operations Department Conference Hall of the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Friday, October 17.
Adrian Hort Ramos of the PHO discussed the salient features of Republic Act 11166 or the “Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act”, which strengthened the comprehensive policy on the HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care.
Ramos said the new HIV law aims to provide better access, education, care and partnerships to address the virus.
He also underscored that RA 11166 has provisions for voluntary testing, observance of confidentiality, non-discrimination of people living with HIV or AIDS, and penalties for harassment of health workers providing services related to HIV-AIDS.
Edjohn Javellana of the PHO, who discussed the HIV/AIDS epidemic, shared that HIV/AIDS in the Philippines is considered as the fastest growing epidemic in Asia and the Pacific Region, adding that the virus has invaded the group of educated and working or employed individuals.
He presented data that 94 percent of those infected are males and 6 percent are females.
Josephine Nonato, HIV AIDS Coordinator of the PHO, presented the different programs services in the province to address HIV -AIDS.
Nonato said there is only one HIV treatment Hub in the province, called AMLIG Health Clinic, and it is located at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.
There is also an HIV AIDS Core Team at the Cadiz District Hospital located in their CHAT Room, while the Lorenzo Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan has a HAPLOS Clinic.
Other government hospitals in the province have also signified their interest to provide HACT.
Nonato also reported that the 12 cities of the province have social hygiene clinics which provide various health and medical services, referrals, and awareness or education sessions.
The PHO also has an HIV, AIDS and STI Prevention and Control program supported by the provincial gender and development fund or the GAD Budget.
The project supports trainings of most at risk population, peer education and behavior change communication training, participants of which are trained to do community-based screening.
The meeting attendees agreed that there is a need to reactivate the Provincial HIV-AIDS Council and observe the World AIDS Day on December 1, among other campaigns.*