1 in 4 HIV positive in PH an OFW; spike in cases alarms DOH

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATED 10:10 P.M.) Health Secretary Enrique Ona has expressed alarm over the spikes in new HIV cases among Filipinos as the department prepared for World AIDS Day’s observance on Thursday, December 1.

Earlier on Wednesday, the national health insurance agency PhilHealth reported that one in four (23 percent) of HIV-positive cases is a migrant worker, and vowed to provide full support to members who may be infected, including OFWs.

This year, health authorities have been receiving reports of an average of six new individuals acquiring HIV infection every day, when it was only one new case every two days a decade ago.

The increase, Secretary Ona said on Wednesday, was largely due to the rising number of males who have unprotected sex with males, and among injecting drug users who share contaminated needles.

Numbers rising but limited to certain groups

The bad news is the spike in numbers; the good news, said Ona, is that the spike is limited to certain segments of the population, which allows authorities to devote their attention to target groups and not have to chase after so many sectors.

“The HIV situation, while alarming, is concentrated among key populations at higher risk and not the public at large. This provides us with a greater opportunity to halt and reverse the trend in the next few years; one which will require a more focused, multi-sectoral approach and efficient implementation of prevention and control programs,” Ona explained.

Still, Ona said that while the global HIV epidemic is seeing some hope as the annual new HIV infections fell by 21 percent and 2.5 million deaths were averted between 1997 and 2010, the Philippines needs to stand united with the rest of the world in order to achieve “Zero new HIV infections, Zero discrimination and Zero AIDS-related deaths”—the theme for this year’s observance.

“We urge the health sector to turn commitments into observable results rapidly, and not just incremental progress, and the task may look difficult but lessons from past experience tell us differently — it can be done,” Ona firmly said.

Highest number of new infections ever

The Department of Health AIDS registry in September 2011 alone showed 253 new HIV cases, the highest number of new HIV infections ever reported. This compared with 153 cases in September 2010.

The majority or 53 percent (or 135 new cases) were in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The trend of transmission remains highest (83 percent) among males having sex with males.

Of the 253 new cases, cases of five men have already progressed into full-blown AIDS, bringing to 71 the number of new AIDS cases from January to September 2011.

Three out of five individuals who admitted to have AIDS virus, acquired the infection through homosexual or physical contact with the same gender; one person said he had sexual intercourse with both men and women or bisexuals; and one got the virus from needle sharing among injecting drug users.

Of the total AIDS deaths this year [15 individuals], two died from the disease in September.

AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection, when other health complications set in and there is severe damage to the body’s immune system.

From January to September this year, there were 1,669 HIV cases recorded, 71 AIDS cases and 15 deaths.

Since recording started in 1984, a total of 7,684 HIV cases have been listed, 936 AIDS cases, and 339 deaths due to AIDS.

1 in 4 cases is an OFW

Overseas Filipino workers account for 23 percent, or 1,729 out of the 7,584 total cases in the National HIV and AIDS Registry as of September 30, the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) said on Wednesday, the eve of World AIDS Day.

In a statement, Philhealth vowed to provide strong protection and full support to members who acquire the highly infectious human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including OFWs.

“We wish to assure all HIV positive Filipinos who are (Philhealth) members that we are absolutely committed to look after them,” said Philhealth president and chief executive officer Eduardo Banzon.

“Our assurance of complete assistance also covers members who are overseas Filipino workers or OFWs,” Banzon said.

This assurance came a day after a lawmaker asked the Department of Health and the Insurance Commission to ensure that health insurance companies have not been denying insurance services to HIV positive Filipinos.

“We will provide generously for HIV positive persons, to include repayments for the cost of expensive antiretroviral treatments, if necessary,” Banzon added.

The country is observing World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, amid a big upsurge in new HIV cases.

From January to September this year, a total of 1,669 new HIV infections were passively discovered in the country, up 40 percent versus the 1,201 cases detected over the same nine-month period in 2010, according to the Department of Health.

Nine out of every 10 cases were infected on account of high-risk sexual contact.

The Philippines is one of only seven countries in the world struggling with rapidly increasing new HIV infections, despite the global downtrend.

The World Health Organization has expressed concern that while HIV seems to be generally slowing down in many parts of the world, it appears to be growing at an alarming rate in the Philippines, Armenia, Bangladesh, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Up to 46,000 Filipinos could be diagnosed with HIV by 2015, unless the spread of the highly contagious disease is effectively checked, the Philippine National AIDS Council has warned.

At the rate new cases are being spotted, government could be spending P1 billion yearly by 2015, just to procure the antiretroviral drugs needed to treat Filipinos with HIV, according to Dr. Edsel Salvana, a specialist in infectious disease medicine.

Philhealth’s Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment Package

Banzon cited Philhealth’s Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment Package, which provides a substantial allowance for annual reimbursements under the case payment scheme.

“We are also constantly looking for ways to further enlarge benefits,” Banzon said.

HIV causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. Although without any known cure, the disease that ravages the human body’s immune system can be slowed by antiretroviral treatment.

Banzon said Philhealth’s ample protection for HIV positive members gives more meaning to the mandate of the AIDS Prevention and Control Law.

He was referring to Section 22 of the law, which states: “Hospital-based services — Persons with HIV/AIDS shall be afforded basic health services in all government hospitals, without prejudice to optimum medical care which may be provided by special AIDS wards and hospitals.”

“We adhere to the principle that access to insurance is part of an individual’s right to health and is the responsibility of the State and society as a whole,” Banzon said.

He also assured HIV positive Filipinos that their right to confidentiality would be safeguarded.

“All claims by HIV positive persons are put in sealed envelopes marked confidential. Our staff members who process specific claims are also duty-bound to ensure the patient’s right to privacy,” he added. –Pots de Leon, InterAksyon.com