DOH-7: No more free syringe for drug users

The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH) -7 ended the program of giving out free syringes and will be looking for more sustainable means to stop the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Cebu City.

In a forum yesterday, DOH-7 Medical Officer Dr. Van Phillip Baton affirmed that the program, which was initially implemented as a means to protect injecting drug users from contracting HIV, has been stopped and that they are now considering other options in the fight against the growing incidence of HIV.

“HIV infection has increased since drug users share the needles among themselves that is why we had this giving out of free syringe. Now we realized, we should have another strategy,” he said in a forum June 23 in Cebu City.

For other regions, the most reported mode of transmission is through sexual contact, but for Cebu City, the prevalent “driver of the epidemic” is needlesharing among injecting drug users.

This was what initially prompted health authorities to introduce the distribution of free syringes.

Since condoms were made available to avoid HIV transmission among men having sex with men, syringes and needles were also thought to protect persons who inject drugs against HIV, said Baton.

However, Baton said the agency is now looking for other sustainable strategies to reduce HIV and AIDS cases such as offering free screening and treatment and strengthening links to other health service entities.

Baton is currently designated as the Regional Medical Program Coordinator for National AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and STI (sexually transmitted infections) Prevention and Control Program.

Baton emphasized that people should dismiss the stigma relative to HIV so that those living with it will be more open to getting treatment and, in that way, can help reduce the cases of HIV infections.

According to HIV/ AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines, a total of 266 HIV infections were accounted in Central Visayas from January to April 2017 with Cebu province having the most number of cases with 245. For the same period, at least 22 AIDS cases were reported, 21 of which in Cebu.

Based on consultations done with injecting drug users, Baton said that the risk of needle-sharing is not only for contracting HIV but also for other diseases such as Hepatitis C.

“Now, they are more concerned getting infected with Hepatitis C. Some of the persons who inject drugs are not just infected with HIV but also with Hepatitis C,” he said.