Roperos: HIV cases in region

HEALTH officials in Central Visayas Health are finding it alarming that the region is now second in areas in the country with the most number of persons afflicted with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Aids. The health officials urged the public to avail themselves of free voluntary testing for HIV.

According to one health official, 67 persons in the region were confirmed to have Aids while 1,872 others have tested positive for the disease but have not yet felt any symptoms. Since 1984, at least 62 people from Central Visayas died from HIV/Aids.

The free tests are being offered at the Vicente Soto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City.

Health offices in Cebu province and Cebu City have different situations when it comes to monitoring persons with HIV in their jurisdiction. Based on reports from the Cebu City Health Department, around 75 percent of persons with Aids got the illness from sexual contact while 25 percent received it through drug use.

As of today, many female workers are enticed to do unseemly acts in order to have easy access to cash. These are the persons who are not deeply schooled. Dr. Chamberlain Agtuca, a physician and a member of the VSMMC HIV/Aids core team assisted an average of 60 persons per month so they could be tested for HIV/Aids.

VSMMC, the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), as well as the Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City health offices will also provide free HIV testing. Because of the tests, the number of people confirmed to have HIV or Aids is increasing.

An official has announced that the Department of Health has intensified its campaign to promote voluntarily HIV testing and to provide anti-retroviral medicines for persons found positive for HIV/Aids. She also urged local government to intensify the DOH’S campaign to get more people to undergo voluntary testing. The nature of the disease necessitates a really steep precaution.

The Philippines Aids Prevention and Control Act provides for a jail term of six to twelve years as penalty for a person with HIV who “knowingly or negligently causes another to get infected.” To prevent HIV from spreading, sex play should be limited, so too the use of injectible drugs and needle sharing.

HIV infects vital cells in the human immune system such as helper T cells macrophages and dendritic cells. It has few symptoms or does not exhibit symptoms for up to 10 years or more. When CD4+ T cell numbers decline below a critical level, cell-mediated immunity is lost and the body becomes progressively more susceptible to opportunistic infections.

There is no cure for HIV/Aids but treatment is available.

We should be more careful about our health. As of today, we don’t know what will happen next if we leave ourselves blind.