More treatment hubs for HIV as cases increase

THERE are now more treatment facilities for those afflicted by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ( HIV-AIDS).

The Department of Health (DOH-7) regional office has also increased access for testing and screening of this disease.

Dr. Van Phillip Baton, coordinator of the DOH-7 Re-Emerging Infectious Disease Program, said that increasing treatment facilities, testings, and screenings is the DOH-7‘s response to the increasing number of HIV-AIDS infections.

“Because (now) we have a principle (that) treatment as prevention and the risk that makatakod ka sa ubang taw (that you can infect others) both for sexual (contact) or mother to child (incidents) goes down,” Baton said.

However, Baton admitted that there will be no immediate decrease in the number of HIV positive persons, especially that there are still many undiagnosed persons suffering HIV-AIDS.

“Moos-os ba siya dayon? Of course dili because we are trying to get all the positives. Mosaka pana siya before pa na nato makita nga mo plateau usa siya moos-os,” Baton explained.

(Would the cases decrease immediately? Of course not because we are trying to get all the positives. The cases will still increase before it plateaus and then decrease.)

Treatment Facilities

Baton said that from three, there are now six hospitals in Central Visayas that will care for HIV positive patients.

Baton said that last year, only the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Bohol, and Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Negros Oriental would treat HIV patients.

But this year, DOH-7 added the Visayas Community Hospital in Cebu City, Eversley Child’s Sanitarium and Hospital in Mandaue City, and the Talisay District Hospital as treatment hubs.

“So that’s one of our efforts to increase the treatment (facilities). We are not only focused on getting the diagnosed patients. We want them to go to the nearest hospital or most accessible center for them to get treatment,” Baton said.

But Baton said more treatment facilities are needed in the region, which should ideally be at least two to three facilities per province.

Testings and Screenings

The DOH has also extended its HIV screening and testing through the community –based non-government organizations.

Baton said many HIV afflicted persons are afraid to go to hospitals or centers to have themselves tested and screened for HIV.

He said they partnered with non-government organizations who are trained to do counseling and HIV screening so they can help those who are not comfortable about going to hospitals and centers.

“Sila na moadto sa ilang lugar to do the tests and screening. And for the younger population nga affected sa HIV, we are now encouraging community based organizations (to approach them),” Baton said.

Baton said there are 98 new cases of HIV and nine cases of AIDS that have recently been discovered since January this year.

He said that this is 41 percent higher than in the same period last year where there were only 58 cases of HIV and four cases of AIDS.

The DOH-7 also recorded one death this year.

There have been 4,684 cases of HIV – AIDS in Central Visayas with 118 deaths from 1984 to the present.

Intravenous injections remains the number one cause of HIV/AIDS infection followed by male-to-male sexual intercourse.