MANILA PHILIPPINES — The Department of Health (DOH) is intensifying its campaign against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) due to the increasing incidence of infection in the country.
The infection rate is alarming although it is small in percentage, according to Health Secretary Enrique Ona. He said that since 1983, the total number of people infected with HIV/AIDS is 6,000.
"Tumaas nang konti?pero in percentage nakakatakot," Ona said in a Cabinet Forum of the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster on Friday broadcast live over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Despite the current infection incidents, Ona assured that his department is prepared to handle those cases.
"We can manage these cases meron na po tayong nailunsad na information campaign lalo na sa mga tinatawag nating mga vulnerable populations, yung mga nagtatrabaho ngayon sa mga call centers," he said.
He said that based on the Department of Health (DOH) studies, more people working in the call center industry are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection.
"Hindi po sa sinasabi kong marami, in the sense na based on maliit na simula. Kaya it is something na dapat nating bigyan ng tingin eh ginagawa po natin ang lahat ng paraan para po hindi kumalat itong sakit na ito," Ona said.
The campaign to inform the public is national in scope, and Ona said they were particularly focusing on young adults who were more and more becoming sexually active even at an early age. The DOH also pays attention to drug addicts that share needles in using drugs that quickly spread the virus.
Ona said that the Health department monitored two or three barangays in Cebu that posted a rising number of infected individuals, especially among drug users.
"Mayroong pong lumalabas ngayon na mukha hong lumalaganap ang HIV/AIDS in this particular two or three barangays in Cebu at bibigyan natin ng atensyon iyon," he said. (PNA/Zambotimes)
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