More than 25% of recorded HIV patients in PHL are OFWs

More than 25 percent of the recorded Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive patients in the Philippines are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said. In a statement issued on Monday, the TUCP said out of the 5,729 HIV-positive cases listed in the National AIDS Registry since 1984 up to the end of October this year, 1,501 cases are OFWs. The country's first case of HIV was recorded in 1984. In October, 104 HIV-positive cases were reported. Twenty cases involved OFWs, and the median age of the HIV-positive OFWs was 36. "This is very unfortunate because at 36 years old, they are at the prime of their lives and productivity," said TUCP secretary general and former Senator Ernesto Herrerra. Out of the total number of HIV cases among OFWs, about 75 percent of the infected patients (or 1,127 persons) are males. Around 96 percent of the HIV-positive OFWs were infected through sexual contact. Herrera said the figures underscore the need for government to aggressively encourage safe sex through the use of male and female condoms. "OFWs are particularly vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases because they are exposed to foreign cultures that tend to abet high-risk behavior, including casual sex," he said. He also said among OFWs, Filipino sailors are exceptionally susceptible, after spending lengthy periods at sea. "Sailors are often deluged by commercial sex workers at their foreign ports of call, and they have the money to pay for the services," he said. TUCP urged two government agencies — the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) — to include AIDS preventive education in its free seminars for departing workers. TUCP also urged the two agencies to invest in AIDS awareness activities for OFWs and their families. HIV cases rising in PHL The Department of Health (DOH) is alarmed at the number of HIV cases in the country, especially because more than 50 percent of the cases recorded belong to the age bracket 20-29 years old. In the first 10 months of this year, 1,305 cases were reported, a spike from last year's 800 cases. In the Philippines, the most common type of sexual transmission is through men having sex with men (MSM), which account for 80 percent of all HIV cases in the country. The DOH said it is highly likely that more cases are left unreported because HIV patients are afraid to come out and seek treatment. The health department assured that HIV testing and counseling facilities around the country offer confidential services and emotional support for HIV-positive patients. Reports of contaminated donated blood Meanwhile, the DOH is looking into the reported contamination of donated bloods in the country’s blood banks, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Monday. “It's important that have a safe and secure blood bank for us to use. Pag-aaralan iyan at pagtutuunan ng pansin ni (Health) Secretary (Enrique) Ona iyang problem sa HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) contaminated blood," he said. He said the DOH is determining how the contaminated blood were collected and why they were kept in blood banks. “The DOH will undertake the necessary actions to protect the bloodbanks," Lacierda said. LPGMA (Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers’ Association) Party-list Representative Arnel Ty said the National Voluntary Blood Safety Program, which monitors the purity of donated blood in the country, around 124 units of donated blood were found to be contaminated with HIV. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine confirmed the findings. — Candice Montenegro, VVP, GMANews.TV