Health focuses on high-risk HIV groups

DUE to the rise of the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV in the country, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said they are directing the interventions to populations groups where transmission of the virus has been high.

He said this includes men having sex with men, female sex workers, and injecting drug users.

Although the HIV prevalence in the country remains at 0.1 percent of the population, Ona said the cases are rising every month.

He said the Department of Health continues to recognize the threat posed by HIV.

Based on the latest DoH Philippine HIV and AIDS registry, there were 268 new HIV positive cases in December 2011. This was confirmed by the Sexually Transmitted Diseases/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory.

Ona said the figure is 54 percent higher compared to the same period last year when 174 positive cases were reported.

The number of the HIV-positive last December pushed the total number of cases to 2,349 for 2011. Ninety-four were full-blown AIDS cases, and 91 or 97 percent acquired the infection through sexual contact: heterosexual, 23; homosexual, 40, and bisexual, 28.

Of the 268 HIV positive cases, nine were reported as AIDS cases, two were female and seven were males. Their ages range from 19-58.

The DoH report further showed that 21 of the 268 reported cases were overseas Filipino workers. Macon Ramos-Araneta, Manila Standard Today