Palma calls for reflection on rising HIV cases in jails

THE rising number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases inside the Cebu City Jail and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) should be a cause for reflection, said Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma as he called on everyone to be conscious of the consequences of their actions.

“First, I hope that individually, we should be aware of the consequences of our actions. Second, I have faith in our authorities to make every move that with this development, they can give the proper solution to remedy the issue,” said Palma in Cebuano.

“We know that there are circumstances where people can easily get contaminated or could be affected by this very sad sickness. My point is, now that we know, we also know its implications and the effect in our lives and how many more years we are made to live,” he added.

There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS. But there are palliative treatments for people living with the disease through a combination of medicines designed to strengthen the immune system to keep HIV from developing into full blown AIDS or to relieve AIDS symptoms.

“Before, we only had seminars but we can always make links because it’s not as simple as a vaccination,” said Palma in response to a question on whether the church had a program to address the spread of HIV.

“This is a bit complicated but we can always link with whoever is into this advocacy. We are now more into the drug rehabilitation program . . . but I know for the past so many years, we have had seminars on HIV disease and its reality,” Palma said.

There were 136 reported HIV cases at the Cebu City Jail and five cases at the CPDRC this month.

HIV is acquired through unsafe sex, sharing of needles, mother-to-child transfer during labor and blood transfusion.