BANGUED, Abra (PIA) –The Provincial Department of Health Office (PDOHO) reiterates the importance of getting tested for HIV or human immunodeficiency virus with 15 more cases of HIV/AIDS recorded in the province from January to June this year.
During a forum on Reducing Stigma on HIV-AIDS: Counseling and Testing and Mental Health Awareness with Abrenian students, the PDOHO Head Dr. Lilibeth B. Martin explained that knowing one’s HIV status through testing helps prevent HIV transmission from undiagnosed infections.
“It is important to get tested because ‘yung symptoms ng HIV/AIDS ay pwedeng hindi mag-manifest for years,” she said.
Martin bared that as of June 2023, Abra already recorded a total of 124 cases of HIV/AIDS since 1984.
“We are third in terms of number of cases in CAR following Baguio City and Benguet. They could have been recorded somewhere else but since they are from Abra, ang kaso ay napupunta sa Abra,” she said.
Aside from the increasing cases, she also discussed concerns on the growing number of young patients infected with HIV/AIDS.
“Ang affected ng HIV/AIDS dito ay mostly men having sex with men and then bumabata, as young as 15 years old,” Martin said.
The PDOHO continues to strengthen interventions to address the growing number of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. These include advocacy campaigns and augmentation and technical assistance to the Provincial Health Office which is the primary health force in the province.
Capacity building of health personnel on case finding, counseling and testing of clients is provided in the regional, provincial, and municipal levels.
“Lahat ng municipalities ay na-train yung mga health workers nila on HIV/AIDS advocacy, counseling, and testing,” she said.
In a recent kapihan forum, DOH-CAR HIV-Sexually Transmitted Disease program coordinator Darwin Babon said that Abra is one of the areas that will soon open an HIV treatment hub particularly at the La Paz Rural Health Unit in La Paz.
The World Health Organization explained that HIV attacks the body’s immune system and can lead to AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome if not treated. HIV can be transmitted through bodily fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids.**JDP/JJPM-PIA CAR, Abra
