20 new HIV cases in Eastern Visayas alarm DOH

PALO, Leyte — The Department of Health in Eastern Visayas is alarmed by the increasing number of confirmed People Living with HIV amid lack of treatment hubs and primary care clinics to serve the individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

The DOH regional office turns its attention to the local government units in the region to open its doors as it wants to decentralize access to HIV treatment care and support services.

The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unite of DOH-8 shows 20 new confirmed cases in the region in August 2022, the highest number of HIV cases recorded in a single month since 1984 when the first case was recorded.

The 20 new cases bring the total number of HIV cases in Eastern Visayas since 1984 to 1,536. The region has also documented a total of HIV-related deaths, three of which were recorded in August 2022 alone.

RESU records also show that the 20 cases in August is 150 percent higher than the cases recorded in July 2022 and 60 percent higher than the cases of the same time period of the previous year.

On the other hand, the DOH-8 says there are only 12 HIV Treatment Hubs and one Primary HIV Care Clinic (PHCC) in the entire region, "all of which are affected with high patient load due to the alarming trend of cases for HIV in Eastern Visayas."

"With this, the National HIV, AIDS, and STI Prevention and Control Program (NASPCP) of the region is calling for support from the LGUs in our call of decentralizing access to HIV treatment care and support services," the DOH-8 said in a statement.

Analiza Balila, NASPCP regional coordinator, said that while there remains no cure to HIV infection, increasing the access to HIV prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment for opportunistic infections and advance AIDS condition, the infection will become a manageable chronic health condition, enabling people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.

""This process provides accessibility, a system, and a mechanism to ensure a well-coordinated delivery of comprehensive services not only in the provision of the clinical case but also in support and prevention services, hence cutting the stigma on HIV," Balila said.

Balila also lauded the efforts that were put forward in the establishment of a state-of-the-art PHCC in Ormoc City.

"This sets a good example in leading the development of a productive, resilient, equitable, and people-centered health facility in the region that serves one of the most vulnerable populations – the People Living with HIV (PLHIV)," she added.

Boyd Roderick Cerro, epidemiologist at RESU, however said the alarming increase in HIV/AID cases is not only happening in the region but in the entire country.

In August 2022, he said, the country recorded a total of 1,346 cases or 42 new cases a day, which is an all- time high record of daily new cases in the country and higher than the 41 cases a day recorded in July 2022.

"We want to address stigma and we want LGUs to set up a program to control its spread. The increase is alarming not only in the region but all throughout the country," he said.