HIV cases up, AIDS cases go down in Cebu last year

Cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) went up in Cebu last year, more than double in 2016.

Provincial Health Office HIV resource person Wilfredo Salgado Jr. said their records showed there were more than 700 HIV cases in 2017, higher than 2016’s figure of over 600 HIV cases.

But AIDS cases were lower at 72 cases last year than the 90 AIDS cases recorded in 2016.

Unprotected male to male sexual intercourse and sharing of needles in illegal drug use remains the most common cause of infection, Salgado said.
PHO data also showed that 91 percent of HIV and AIDS cases or 771 were males.

More than half of those who tested positive for HIV and AIDS in 2017 were aged between 25 to 34 years old.

Cebu City also continues to have the most number of recorded cases at 533 HIV and 53 AIDS cases or 69 percent of the total number of cases in Cebu province.

Dr. Ilya Tac-an, Cebu City Hall’s HIV focal person, clarified that the increase resulted from their campaign to encourage those with suspected HIV and AIDS cases to have themselves tested for proper intervention.

Tac-an said a person found to be infected with HIV is advised to undergo Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) to reduce the virus load in his body.

If the virus load of the HIV reactive person is already undetectable, the chances of non transmission also improves, Tac-an said.

Since HIV and AIDS testing started in 1984, Cebu recorded 4,031 cases of HIV and 256 AIDS cases.

While 99 deaths due to HIV were reported in Cebu, Tac-an said the number could be higher which is why they are working to improve monitoring and intervention of HIV and AIDS cases by 2020.

“We have to consider that there are those who did not inform their doctors of their medical condition when they were admitted. There are also those who died without getting tested,” Tac-an said.