DOH alarmed over rising HIV cases in Cebu

Injecting drug users behind rising HIV/Aids cases

CEBU CITY, Mar 9 (PIA) – Health officials are alarmed over the rising cases of the dreaded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Cebu due to drug use as the Department of Health (DOH) recently gathered partner agencies and stakeholders in a consultative meeting to address the public health threat.

DOH National Epidemiology Center Director Dr. Eric Tayag bared injecting drug users have caused the increasing spread in the number of HIV cases not only in Cebu but throughout the country due to the sharing of needles from an infected person to another.

HIV ultimately causes the fatally Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Aids resulting to death.

“Around 80 percent of the HIV/Aids cases we have are largely due to injecting drug users where the rapid increase of incidence in other countries is due to the same cause,” Tayag said over a recent interview over local ANS CBN News.

The DOH official expressed alarm over the fast rate of the HIV/Aids incidence in Cebu which is estimated at over 200 cases.

Tayag said the country has officially recorded at present more than 5,000 HIV/Aids cases not to mention the unofficial cases.

Just last month, the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) has recorded two new HIV cases but declined to give the background of the two individuals, according to a news report.

Dr. Ilya Tac-an, CCHD Social Hygiene Head said part of their prevention advocacy drive is the use of condoms which they are promoting 100 percent to prevent the spread of the killer disease, according to the same news report.

Although Dr. Joseff Bullecer of the Aids Free Philippines-Cebu argued that contraceptives is not the remedy to address the rising HIV cases stressing that abstinence and faithfulness are still the best way to battle HIV.

Distribution of needle syringes to intravenous drug users as part of the prevention measure has also been done by the CCHD but due to the question on legality, this was stopped.

Cebu City’s 2011 annual budget has been realigned to finance HIV prevention programs where at least P25M has been set aside for CCHD of which part is for the HIV prevention programs, this was learned. (PIA-Cebu/Fayette C. Riñen)