Steady rise in HIV cases noted; BPOs as hi-risk denied

LEGAZPI CITY—The Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) has noted a steady increase in the number of infections involving the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes the deadly AIDS, with at least one case reported every three days.

In a phone interview Thursday with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, PNAC executive director Ferchito Avelino said this had been the trend in the country for the past three years, and that there were already 1,244 HIV cases reported as of the end of 2009.

What was alarming, Avelino said, was that the figure represented only 34 percent of the cases, which meant that the remaining 66 percent had yet to be accounted for.

The PNAC also disclosed in its latest findings that as of November 2009, the mode of HIV transmission was predominantly heterosexual but was shifting to bisexual mode and “males having sex with males (MSMs).”

It said that 54 percent of MSM cases had been reported.

The other groups with an increasingly high risk of vulnerability are migrant workers, especially women, due to unsafe migration and mobility, and those using drugs intravenously, the PNAC said.

Risky sexual behavior

Call center employees were particularly cited in last week’s reports on the rise of HIV cases in the Philippines.

In Manila, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said health authorities would again call the attention of call center employees to “risky sexual behavior”—such as having multiple sexual partners and engaging in unprotected sex—that would expose them to possible HIV/AIDS infection.

Cabral said many employees in call centers were young people with unhealthy lifestyles that included such risky behavior, as well as smoking, alcohol drinking and inadequate sleep.

“So it’s not a surprise that if a group is engaged in risky sexual behavior, we’ll find people with AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases,” she said.

Foul, says Convergys

A top official of Convergys Corp., the biggest call center in the country with 20,000 employees, has cried foul over reports that most of the persons with HIV were young urban professionals employed in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

“I would like to debunk that rumor,” Convergys general manager Marife Zamora said at a luncheon with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Sta. Rosa City in Laguna province on Tuesday.

“Here in Convergys—and I suppose TeleTech and other BPO call center companies would do the same—applicants go through medical exams that include HIV testing before they are hired. [They also undergo] an annual medical exam that also includes HIV testing. So I don’t know where that story comes from,” Zamora said.

Ms Arroyo was in Sta. Rosa for the Cyber Corridor tour to the country’s ICT (information communication technology) hubs.

At present, at least half a million are directly employed in the $7-billion ICT industry.

‘Is it real?’

Asked if there was any measure that the government could implement to address the purported rise in HIV cases, Ms Arroyo said: “First of all, are [the reports] on this supposed HIV epidemic real? You ask the two biggest call centers.”

Officials of both Convergys and TeleTech denied the reports.

“BPO associations are coming up with statements to address this issue,” Zamora said, adding:

“We are very big on health.”

Cabral said the findings of a recent study conducted by the Population Commission on the lifestyle of young professionals in call centers as compared to those in other workplaces had been presented to call centers “so they can do something about it.”

She said the only reason health authorities were calling the attention of call centers was “that’s where [young people] are.”

“It’s the principal employment [in the country]. The [young people] tend to gravitate to the call centers because that’s where they find work,” Cabral said.

High-risk groups

The PNAC’s Avelino said among the latest findings on HIV transmission were high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections, earlier age of sexual debut, low knowledge of HIV/AIDS among high-risk groups, low condom use among MSMs and low use of sterile injecting equipment among drug users.

He said the most at-risk populations, whether male or female, were those with multiple sex partners, those who engage in unprotected sex, drug users and MSMs.

Avelino, a former director of the Department of Health in Bicol, said the PNAC had noted new cases of HIV infections in the region during the past two months, causing alarm among local health authorities.

He said there were 90 confirmed HIV cases among Bicolanos although the actual report from testing centers in the region mentioned only 26 cases.

“This is because aside from the 26 tested positive in Bicol, there are those who are living or working outside the region but are actually Bicolanos in roots and origin,” he said.

The latest PNAC report showed that among the Bicol provinces, Camarines Sur ranks first with 28 persons tested positive for HIV, followed by Albay with 25, Sorsogon with 17, Catanduanes with nine, Camarines Norte with eight and Masbate with three.

“The breakdown shows the confirmed cases since 1992 regardless of the place of work or place of residence, whether alive or dead,” Avelino said.

Aggressive campaign

The health department is coordinating with local government units and nongovernment organizations in the campaign against HIV/AIDS.

In Albay, Gov. Joey Salceda instructed Provincial Health Office chief Luis Mendoza to include an aggressive HIV/AIDS campaign in the Medium Term Development Plan of 2010-2015.

The campaign includes the distribution of HIV test kits, medication and medical paraphernalia in various health centers in the province.

Early action is low-cost, action when the epidemic begins is likely to be more costly, but action when the epidemic is full-blown is likely to be economically crippling, Avelino said.

Make it talk of the town

“The country’s best chance of avoiding a nationwide explosion of HIV infection depends on early local actions. That is why there is a need to make this issue the talk of the town and to make the people aware that the situation is clear and may affect everyone, depending on the risk of their behaviors,” he said, adding:

“And there is also a need to fight stigma and discrimination.” With reports from Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Dona Z. Pazzibugan in Manila