HIV epidemic looming large, lawmaker warns

AN HIV-AIDS epidemic is a big possibility because the government has failed to allocate enough funds for contraceptives and programs aimed at preventing the spread of the disease in the country, Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said Monday.

Ilagan, vice chairman of the House committee on women and gender equality, said the Philippines also was likely to fail to meet is sixth Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV-AIDS by 2015.

She aired her concern following a 50-percent increase in new HIV infections in the past 10 years and the decreasing local and foreign funding for anti-AIDS programs in the country.

The Philippine coordinator of the United Nations Program on HIV-AIDS, Teresita Marie Bagasao, disclosed the increase in infections and the funding problem in a report in a bid to intensify the fight against HIV-AIDS.

The country has been receiving $20.4 million (about P890 million) in grants from the Global Fund to boost its not-so-successful “Getting to Zero” campaign against HIV-AIDS.

A report says the top recipients of Global Fund releases to combat HIV-AIDS are Ethiopia ($560 million), India ($385 million) and Tanzania ($364 million). Next are Thailand ($174 million), Cambodia ($111 million), Indonesia ($85 million) and Vietnam ($27 million).

Ilagan said the HIV-AIDS problem was expected to get worse as a result of Congress’ failure to pass the Reproductive Health bill.

Based on records from the House committee on health, 2,349 new HIV/AIDS cases were reported nationwide in 2011, including an unprecedented 268 infections in December alone.

The new infections were up 48 percent from the 1,591 cases reported in 2010.

“I don’t see that the government can comply or meet this [Millennium Development Goal] target because the government and Congress are not doing concrete steps to address this problem,” Ilagan said.

She blamed the increase in HIV-AIDS cases on males having unprotected sex with males and drug users sharing contaminated needles.

HIV causes AIDS, which destroys the human body’s immune system. It does not have any known cure, although anti-retroviral treatments can slow its advance.

At least 271 Filipinos workers overseas were known to have been infected with HIV in 2011, which was up 56 percent from the 174 infections reported in 2010.

The new cases brought to 1,794 the number of Filipino workers abroad who were found to have been HIV-positive or with full-blown AIDS since 1984. –Maricel Cruz, Manila Standard Today