DAVAO CITY (PIA) – The Regional HIV/STI Surveillance Unit of the Davao Center for Health Development has registered 612 diagnosed HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus cases from January to September this year.
This placed Davao Region in the 5th rank, contributing to the 1,347 new cases in the entire country as of September 2022, bared Maria Teresa Requillo, HIV and AIDS Regional Program Coordinator of DOH-XI.
From the 612 cases, Davao City is still on top with 396 cases being highly urbanized city, followed by Davao del Norte with 98 cases and Davao del Sur and Davao de Oro with 47 and 44 cases, respectively.
“Sa tibuok Pilipinas, aduna kitay 42 kada adlaw ang matakdan og HIV. So, imagine pila kaya ang mahatag all throughout sa Davao Region,” disclosed Patrick Daison Albit, regional coordinator of the Global Fund PSFI-HIV Program.
Davao Region has a total of 5,817 HIV/AIDS cases from 1993 up to September this year, according to the data of the Regional HIV/STI Surveillance Unit.
Albit attributed the increasing number of cases to the improved programs and advocacy campaigns against HIV/AIDS in the country.
“Ang mga tao kabalo na sila kung asa magpa test ug asa pwede muadto nga libre ug asa pwede mokuha og services ug asa pwede magpa tambal nga ginahatag nato nga libre through the government,” he mentioned.
He said that current medications and treatment to prevent HIV from becoming full-blown AIDS have been innovated to lessen the side effects.
There are also strong advocacy programs in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS cases in the country spearheaded by the civil society organization such as the “Dayaw Community Center” of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines – Davao City Chapter.
The center offers free testing for individuals 15 years old and above and other sexual and reproductive health services.
Herminigilda Escalante, FPOP-Davao City chapter program manager said, “We have now an increasing number of facilities na naga provide ani nga services and likewise sa community mismo on the ground level naay mga discussion on HIV.”
“Kami sa civil society naga dahum gyud ta nga mahimo tang HIV-AIDS free country or community pero ingon ta nga dili ni namo kaya ug dili gyud ni nato kaya because this is really a people’s movement. Kailangan gyud ng malawak na kampanya, malawak na edukasyon ug ingon pa nato na paghatag gyud ug solusyon sa kawad-on sa kapobrehon sa katilingban,” she added.
With the alarming and rising cases, Albit hopes to engage with more schools for the awareness and advocacy campaigns on HIV/AIDS for the younger generation.
Escalante and Albit urged everyone who think they have been exposed to get tested and accept treatments to avoid complicated diseases and worst death. (PIA-XI/Franchette Delfin)