FORUM@PIA tackles HIV-AIDS awareness drive

By ANA-LIZA S. MACATANGAY

NAGA CITY - Camarines Sur with 50 cases, now ranked first as the province in the Bicol Region with the highest registered case of HIV-AIDS, grabbing the post from Albay who have kept the said records during the past years.

This was based on the HIV AIDS situationer sent by Albay AIDS Council Focal Person Mike Dela Rama coming from the presentation of Dr. Alan Lucanas, Head of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Cluster from the Department of Heath Regional Health Office. The said data was supported by Naga City Health Office Medical Technologist Grace Guevara during the FORUM@PIA held Thursday (Dec. 5) at the Radyo ng Bayan Building, here.

Dr. Wilfredo Baniqued, OIC Provincial Health Officer of the Camarines Sur Provincial Health Office who was also invited during the FORUM@PIA as one of the resource speakers also said that the numbers speak for themselves. The data he said was released from the DOH’s Philippine HIV and AIDS registry.

From January to June of 2013, Camarines Sur occupied the first spot with a total of 50 cases while Albay with 48 cases. In other Bicol provinces, the island province of Masbate ranked 3rd with 12 cases of HIV-AIDS, Sorsogon with 11, Camarines Norte with 7 and Catanduanes with 3 cases, coming out with a total of 131 cases for the entire region.

Guevara stated that in Camarines Sur, Naga City ranked first in terms of cities/municipalities with the highest prevalence of HIV–AIDS cases.

“From January to December last year, we have recorded 11 cases here in Naga. From January to October this year, we have 15, plus 3 other cases which I have just submitted in Manila for confirmation,” Guevara added.

Guevara said that the numbers represent blank faces as they are just basing it on the codes of the individuals who have submitted themselves to voluntary testing. Article III of Republic Act 8504 which contains the salient provisions on the prohibition of compulsory testing, kept the medical practitioner on the waiting end of who will voluntary submit themselves for HIV testing.

FORUM@PIA resource persons both agreed that the simple practice of ABCDE will keep the people away from the life threatening effects of HIV-AIDS. A stands for Abstinence, B for Be Faithful which calls for a monogamous relationship and fidelity, C for the proper and consistent use of condom as one of the best protections, D for saying NO to drugs and E for education.

In the reported mode of HIV-AIDS transmission, the highest percentage of affected sectors was traced on men having sex with men or MSM. Cumulative data from the Philippines HIV AIDS Registry from January 1984 to July 2013, shows that from 2007 there has been a shift in the predominant trend of sexual transmission from heterosexual contact to males having sex with other males.

In Bicol, 57 percent of the total reported cases went out to Bisexuals and homosexuals with a combined 75 infected individuals out of the 131 total number of People with HIV-AIDS.

Dela Rama of Albay Provincial AIDS council said that by the end of 2015, the goal is to have zero local transmission.

“The level of knowledge of Bicolanos when it comes to prevention and control about HIV and STI is evidently high, however practice and the determination to abide by the ABCDEs and taking the precautions is very low. This is one of the behavioral aspects that we have to directly deal with if we want to achieve a zero local transmission here in
the region,”Dela Rama added.