HIV-Aids victims continue to face stigma

SAN FERNANDO CITY, March 31 (PIA) – People afflicted with Human Immuno Deficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or HIV-AIDS continue to live with stigma, an HIV-Aids advocate said.

Yomi Amohado, himself an HIV-afflicted person, cited an instance where victims could not avail of free medicine and check up because barangay officials refuse to issue certificates of indigency.

“What these patients need is concern, love, understanding, and not to discriminate us,” Amohado, who spoke recently during a consultation on hiv-aids at the Don Mariano Marcos State University here, said.

Amohado said the Philippines ranks third in South East Asia with 22,527 confirmed cases.

He said once a person gets infected with HIV, the immune system is attacked by the virus and would continuously deteriorate.

He cited lack of awareness and insufficient information as the top reasons for the rising number of HIV-Aids infection.

“Treatment is available in the form of anti-retroviral but (it is not) a cure for the disease,” he added.

HIV is the virus transmitted from an infected person while AIDS is the state where the immune system is at its lowest and the disease is full-blown.

Yomi noted the difficulty in getting people to be examined for HIV infection.

Based on the records of the Department of Health in Region 1, there were 116 HIV cases recorded in the four Ilocos provinces namely: Pangasinan – 62, La Union – 22, Ilocos Sur – 19, and Ilocos Norte – 13.

The most common mode of transmission noted is unprotected sexual contact and patients are assymptomatic at the time of reporting. (MCA/MPA/PIA1 La Union)

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