DOH, Senate bets express concern over rise of AIDS in RP

The Department of Health (DOH) together with some senatorial bets of different parties expressed their concern over the sudden increase of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the country.

According to Dr. Enrique Tayag of the DOH National Epidemiology Center, 126 cases of AIDS were reported  in December 2009 alone, the highest number in the span of one month in 25 years.  He added that 835 new cases were documented last year.

“The highest occurrence of AIDS is prevalent among men ranging from age 25 to 29,” Tayag said at the Kapihan sa Manila, a weekly press forum held at the Manila Hotel, Monday.

Tayag added that the most prevalent occurrence of the disease is in young adult males who engage in unprotected sex with other men.

“We are focusing our attention on large urban areas such as Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao,” Tayag said.

He also warned the public about the other ways the disease are transmitted, such as sharing of hypodermic needles. An afflicted mother can also transmit the disease to her unborn child.

Dr. Ferchito Avelino, director of the Philippine National AIDS Council, said that all of the vital ingredients that would lead to an AIDS epidemic are present in the country.

“If left unchecked, an epidemic here in the country would only be a matter of time,” Avelino said.

He added that the health department and the AIDS Council is very alarmed about the infection rate of gonorrhea and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD)  in the country which is one of the important factors that would lead to an epidemic of AIDS.

Avelino said another factor would be the lack of information about how STD’s are transmitted.

According to Avelino many people are also misinformed about AIDS, he said that some common misconceptions are that AIDS can be transmitted through kissing and through mosquito bites. He added that these views are not only wrong but can lead to unnecessary discrimination of people who are infected.

The third factor would be the early exposure of some children to unprotected sexual intercourse at a very early age.

“The legislature has made good bills that aims to educate the public about AIDS, but the problem almost always lie on inefficient implementation,” former congressman and Liberal Party senatorial bet Neric Acosta said.

Acosta said that though there are existing laws that focuses on AIDS, both houses of Congress should have stronger oversight over governmental policy about STD’s.

Former Sen. Francisco “Kit” Tatad added that “though we initiate campaigns to educate the public about the proper use of condom, the fact remains that the most effective way of preventing AIDS is through abstinence or responsible sexual practices.”

Tayag said that the government could only do so much to control the occurrence of AIDS in the country because it would always boil down to a person’s sexual practice. –IMMANUEL PASTOLERO Special to the Manila Times, Manila Times