HIV+ cases rising, especially among twentysomethings

By CANDICE MONTENEGRO, GMANews.TV

Published November 26, 2010 4:51pm

The Department of Health (DOH) expressed concern over the growing number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases in the country, especially among the youth. According to the DOH, in September 2010 alone, 153 cases were reported to the DOH. More than 50% of those infected were from the 20 to 29 years old age bracket. In the first ten months of this year, there were 1,305 reported cases of HIV-positive patients in the country, an increase from last year's 800 recorded cases. DOH records show that from January to October 2010, the daily average number of new HIV patients in the country is five. This reflects a significant spike from the average of one new HIV case every three days since 1984 when the first case of HIV was recorded in the Philippines. Unreported cases Dr. Jose Belimac from the Infectious Disease Office of the DOH said it is highly possible that there are even more cases left unreported, mostly because HIV patients are afraid to come out and seek treatment. "Fear and stigma are just two of the most common reasons why they are afraid to report it," he said. "It's also hard because some of them might not even be aware that they are HIV-positive, especially the young ones." Debunking myths Part of the health department's campaign against HIV is the dissemination of correct information about the virus, not only for those affected by it but also for the general public. Belimac cited some of the myths about the infection that the DOH would like to debunk. He mentioned, for example, that peple often think that the virus can be contracted when there's skin contact with or through the saliva of an infected person. The ways of contracting the infection are:

through exchange of both male and female sexual fluids;

through blood, and

through the milk of a mother during breastfeeding. He also cited the misconception that HIV is only contracted by homosexual males and female sex workers. "It is not who you are but what you do that makes you get the infection," he said. "If you have unprotected sex and you have multiple sex partners, you can get HIV."
Belimac said the primary concern of the DOH is how to reach out to men who are infected by HIV, particularly men who have sex with men (MSM), which account for almost 80% of recorded HIV patients. "These are young people, in fact young professionals, who are not in the usual places where our outreach program goes to," he said, adding that these patients should not be afraid to approach HIV testing and counseling facilities of the DOH. He assured that the counseling and testing services in DOH HIV treatment hubs will keep identities of patients confidential. "If [patients] go there, they will be given confidential counseling services and information on how to protect themselves," he said. The treatment hubs also offer psychosocial and emotional support for HIV-positive patients. For more information, patients may call telephone number: 405-0149. Two to five years before symptoms show When a person contracts HIV, it takes two to five years before any symptoms of the infection surfaces. The DOH thus suspects that some patients who are HIV-positive were as young as 15 years old when they contracted the disease. "An increasing number of patients are 20-24 years old, so that suggests that as early as 15 years old, young people are already exposed to unsafe behavior," Belimac said. Sex education He added that this phenomenon is the reason why they are also pushing for age-appropriate sex education in schools. "The number one reason why the youth are [susceptible] to contracting HIV is really their exploratory nature. Instead of asking from their parents, they learn the wrong things from their peers," he said. "The youth should be provided with the right information. It's better when well-trained service providers give information to them, when they're 12 to 15 years old," Belimac said. "Our worry is that the youth get their sexuality information from the Internet, which may not always give them the right response," he added. The health department reminds the youth that the best way to prevent HIV infection is to delay, if not avoid completely, engagement in premarital sex. "Engage in sex only when you are ready to face the consequences - teenage pregnancy, HIV, failed partnerships. Engage in other alternatives like sports and academics. The time to engage [in sex] will come," he said. â€“ VVP/HS, GMANews.TV

Tags: departmentofhealth, aids