Support people with HIV thru Candlelight Memorial
“I care. Do you?”
Persons living with HIV/AIDS and those who have succumbed to the said infection, will be commemorated in the 26th International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 28, 4:30 to 6 PM at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.
This annual event is a worldwide endeavor that aims to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS or the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Persons who support the cause are encouraged to attend, preferably wearing a white blouse or T-shirt. The candles and ribbons will be provided at the venue.
AWARENESS
Charity Yanson Perea, regional STI coordinator of the Department of Health's Center for Health Development in Region 6, said that an important factor in battling HIV/AIDS is to educate the public that Persons Living with HIV (PLHIVs) and that the infection should not be discriminated upon. The stigma placed on PLHIVs makes them afraid to come out in the open and get treatment. If they fail to receive treatment, PLHIVs will develop AIDS and eventually die because of the complications or opportunistic diseases that had set in their bodies due to their weak immune system.
In 1994, only two PLHIVs sought treatment. As Ilonggos have become more educated about HIV and AIDS, others who were infected followed suit. As of March 2009, there are 75 recorded cases of HIV, with males ages 30 to 39 and 50 percent of the cases being overseas foreign workers, as the most affected.
The DOH describes the cases in the Philippines as “hiding but growing”, thus if HIV can't be solved, this will become an explosive epidemic due to factors like the thriving sex industry, high STI rates, low condom use, IDU sharing unclean needles, sexually active young people, wide gap between knowledge and practice, increased vulnerability of overseas foreign workers and the stigma and discrimination.
As the years passed, it was seen that those infected are getting younger, said John Pieremont Montilla, president of the Kabataang Gabay sa Pamumuhay, a youth-oriented non-government organization that campaigns against HIV/AIDS for 10 years now. He encouraged the youth to also get involved in the said campaign.
HOPE FOR HIV PATIENTS
There is hope for people with HIV. Perea reiterated that AVR or the anti retroviral drug is now being offered for free, courtesy of the Global Fund, through the DOH.
ARVs have reduced deaths and illnesses, prolonged lives, and improved the quality of life of many PLHIVs.
Dr. Rey Celis, HIV/AIDS head of the core team in the Western Visayas Medical Center, said that the drug is available in their hospital, being the treatment hub for Panay. “The hub has free testing kits, medicines for the opportunistic infections and ARV. If you are a patient, just show your treatment booklet. If not yet, just show up and undergo testing and treatment. We are located at the first floor of the St. Vincent Building of WVMC and we can be reached through telephone number 3210551. Those who want to know their HIV status can visit us and get tested,” he said.
He also said that WVMC initiated a program that prevents the transmission of HIV from mother to child. “Those pregnant can now have themselves tested for HIV. If found positive, treatment will be started immediately in order to prevent the transmission to her child,” Celis said.
MILLENNIUM GOAL
Dr. Sophia Pulmones, local health support, said that HIV/AIDS prevention and control is one of the priority programs of the DOH in conjunction with the government's millennium development goal, that of reducing the cases by half come year 2015.
“Several strategies were made to reduce such a problem. One of them is providing training for health workers and the other is the advocacy activities like the candelighting memorial event on May 28 and the World AIDS Day on December,” she said.
TRANSMISSION, DISCRIMINATION, PREVENTION AND CONTROL
HIV can be transmitted through blood transfusion, sexual transmission and mother to child. The four body fluids that transmit the virus are blood, breast milk, vaginal fluid and seminal fluid. Saliva, tears, perspiration, urine and stools do not transmit the said virus. It can't also be transmitted through casual social contact, thus there is no reason why we should fear and discriminate PLHIVs. Anybody discriminating PLHIVs can be penalized and imprisoned, according to Republic Act 8504 (Philippine AIDS Law).
There are five ways to prevent and control HIV infection according to the DOH. They are: abstinence; faithfulness to the uninfected partner; careful sex (correct and consistent condom use); don't use drugs, nor drink too much alcohol; and education and early detection and treatment.