DOH Cites Ways to Address Increasing HIV and AIDS Menace in the Country

(PNA) — The Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday the best way to address the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) menace in the country is to be aware of the problem.

According to DOH Undersecretary Janet Garin, the only way to tackle HIV and AIDS infection is to face the problem, that is, not to ostracize or put stigma on people found positive with HIV and AIDs.

HIV-related stigma refers to unfavorable attitudes, beliefs, and policies directed toward people perceived to have HIV/AIDS as well as their loved ones, associates, social groups, and communities.

“If you keep on discriminating HIV patients, and if you continue putting stigma on them, it will never be able to help us, after all the cure lies on them,” Garin said in a media briefing held at the DOH Compound in Manila in reaction to reports that the number of people living with HIV in the Philippines is projected to hit 32,379 by the end of 2014.

Use of condoms still remains the best protection against unsafe sex, Garin said, adding that the DOH is allotting a budget for the procurement of condoms for couples who are seeking consultation on family planning in health centers.

It is also important to make the people, especially the young ones, fully aware of the advocacy campaign on the HIV and AIDS menace, Garin said. p>She mentioned that the people most at risk to HIV infection are men having sex with males, those sharing needle with drugs users, and the free-lance female commercial sex workers.

Garin noted the need to require these freelance female sex workers to have pink card, similar to sex workers who undergo medical examinations and are issued a pink card showing the healthy state of the card bearer to work without fear of sexually transmitted disease.

“We believe that the only way to tackle the HIV menace is to accept that there is a problem. What is happening now is that we have the problem, but acceptance, stigma and discrimination have been core problems, and we were not able to take off from that,” Garin said.

The DOH said that of the 19,330 reported cases from 1984 to June 2014, a total of 1,766 were AIDS cases.

The age group with the most number of cases was between 25 and 29 years old. (PNA) SDT/UTB