BAGUIO CITY– The city government here through the City Health Office together with the Baguio AIDS Watch Council, Inc. (AWAC) in coordination with the Baguio City HIV Surveillance Team and Baguio Association of Bars and Entertainment Society celebrated 2016 World AIDS Day with a motorcade along the city’s thoroughfares last Nov. 29.
This year’s celebration theme, “Hands Up for HIV Prevention,” aims to encourage countries to promote self-testing and empower more people to test themselves for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
According to the report of the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) , the celebration of the World AIDS Day is to give honor to the 78 million people who have become infected with HIV and remember the 35 million who have died from Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) related illnesses since the first cases of HIV were reported.
“The number of new HIV infections is not declining among adults and with young women particularly at risk of becoming infected with HIV”.
In his inspirational message, mayor Mauricio Domogan urged the different bar owners and entertainers to carry out clean entertainment and at the same time for people to be extra careful in engaging in sexual activities.
“Statistics show that 28 persons per day are being diagnosed as HIV affected individuals and a child gets orphaned every 12 seconds due to AIDS which is very alarming,” said Domogan.
Further, “mostly affected individuals are male which is caused by men having sex with men (MSM),” he added.
Here in Baguio, Dr. Celia Brillantes of HSO disclosed that from 1992 to the present, out of the 93 affected with HIV individuals, 73 are male and 20 are female.
On the other hand, the 43 affected HIV individuals acquired this through MSM, five through blood transfusion, six through a sexually active male (SAM) and another six through sexually active female (SAF).
Also, three wives are living with persons with HIV (PWH). While there are already 18 fatalities because of HIV/AIDS in the city.
Brillantes stressed the importance of abstaining from sex, being faithful and using condoms in order to avoid acquiring HIV.
World AIDS Day is celebrated every year all over the world to raise public awareness about AIDS which is a pandemic disease caused by the HIV. **Jho Arranz
