Lawmaker: Number of OFWs with HIV went up by 56% in 2011

At least 271 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were reported to have contracted the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2011, higher by 56 percent compared to the 174 OFWs found HIV-positive in 2010, a Philippine lawmaker said on Monday.

In a statement, Rep. Arnel Ty of the party-list LPG Marketers’ Association (LPG-MA), said the new cases brought to 1,794 the number of OFWs found either HIV positive, or with full-blown Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) since 1984.

Ty noted that OFWs comprised 21 percent of the 8,364 listed cases in the National HIV and AIDS Registry by the end of last year.

HIV causes AIDS, which destroys the human body’s immune system. It does not have any known cure, although antiretroviral treatments can slow the advance of the disease.

Mostly males

The 1,794 OFWs in the registry have a median age of 35 years. About 77 percent of these OFWs (or 1,375) are males, he said.

Ty lamented that easy access to paid sex services overseas has made many OFWs vulnerable to HIV.

“Foreign cultures tend to promote extremely high-risk sexual behavior,” he added.
“Among all cases in the registry, 91 percent were infected through unprotected sexual contact. But among OFWs in particular, 97 percent of them acquired the virus through unsafe sexual contact,” Ty said.

Contaminated blood

Meanwhile, at least 209 donated blood units were found HIV positive in 2011, higher by 43 percent compared to the 146 HIV-contaminated blood units reported in 2010.

Ty said one of the tainted units were used as these were screened out by the National Voluntary Blood Safety Program.

“Nonetheless, the increasing number of donated blood units found contaminated implies that we have more individuals out there who are HIV positive, but their cases have not been reported to the registry,” he said.

Over 2,000 HIV/AIDS cases in PHL

In the Philippines last year, a total of 2,349 new HIV/AIDS cases were spotted nationwide, including an unprecedented number of infections — 268 — in December alone.

The new infections were up by 48 percent compared to the 1,591 cases in 2010.

Since the National AIDS Prevention and Control Law forbids compulsory HIV/AIDS testing, detection of new cases remains inactive or passive, Ty said.

He explained that new infections are spotted only if individuals voluntarily submit themselves to testing, or seek treatment.

Ty said he is counting on Congress to pass a stronger AIDS Prevention and Control Law this year.

“We are hopeful that Congress will act favorably on proposed new legislation that will boost the war on HIV/AIDS,” he said.

He was referring to House Bill 5312, which seeks to allot P400 million to launch a new National HIV and AIDS Plan that has definite strategies, operating guidelines, and targets.

Ty, together with Representatives Maria Isabelle Climaco (Zamboanga City), Janette Garin (Iloilo), Jorge Banal (Quezon City), and Kaka Bag-ao (Akbayan), filed the bill last year.

Sen. Miriam Santiago has filed a counterpart Senate Bill 3072. – VVP, GMA News