Oton, Pavia have most HIV infections in Iloilo

ILOILO City – More young people in Western Visayas are contracting the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but they do not know they are infected, according to the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines (FPOP).

This is because they show no symptoms (asymptomatic) and thus do away with HIV testing, said Monalisa Diones, chapter program manager of the FPOP – HIV Primary Care Center here.

HIV causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a chronic, potentially life-threatening condition. By damaging the immune system, HIV interferes with the body’s ability to fight organisms that cause diseases.

The Department of Health’s (DOH) HIV demographic data showed that out of 2,740 cumulative cases of HIV in Western Visayas since 1986 (2,578 males and 162 females), four were below 15 years old; 765 were between 15 to 24 years old; 1,389 were between 25 to 34 years old; 493 were between 35 to 49 years old; and 89 were above 50 years old.

Of these cases, 2,263 were asymptomatic while 478 were advance cases (AIDS).

HIV is a sexually transmitted infection. But it can also be spread by contact with infected blood or from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

Diones urged Western Visayans to know their HIV status by taking the test.

Early detection helps a lot in curbing the spread of the infection, she stressed.

There’s no cure for HIV/AIDS for now, but there are medications that can dramatically slow the progression of the disease. These drugs have reduced AIDS deaths in many developed nations.

Among the provinces and high urbanized cities in Western Visayas, Iloilo City has the highest number of HIV infections at 719, followed by Iloilo province (547), Negros Occidental (474), Bacolod City (441), Capiz (184), Aklan (178), Antique (143), and Guimaras (55).

In Iloilo province, the towns of Oton and Pavia had the most number of HIV infections (cumulative since 1986) at 38 and 37, respectively.

The other towns with a high number of cases were Miag-ao and Pototan (25 each), Tigbauan (24), Santa Barbara (22), Cabatuan, Janiuay and Passi City (21 each), Barotac Nuevo and San Joaquin (19).

DOH recently said one person was diagnosed with HIV every 13 hours in Region 6.

Deaths in the region due to HIV-AIDS reached 278 as of August this year, it added./PN