HIV cases rising among OFWs – lawmaker

The number of HIV/ AIDS cases among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is on the rise, Rep. Ron Salo of party-list group Kabayan said yesterday.

“Aside from the fact that HIV/AIDS is spreading fast among the millennial youth and men having sex with men, there is also the worrisome and growing rate of HIV infections involving OFWs,” he said.

Citing data from the Department of Health, he said the number of cases among OFWs had risen from 92 in 2005 to 814 in 2017.

He said the number steadily increased over that period.

“Counting from January 1984 to December 2017, 11 percent or 5,453 of all the recorded 50,725 HIV cases involved OFWs,” he added.

He pointed out that the workers got infected through men-having-sexwith-men transmission.

“It is therefore of urgent priority that the new comprehensive HIV program of the national government must be rolled out as soon as possible,” Salo stressed.

Congress has passed the proposed Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act.

Salo said he hoped President Duterte would sign it into law soon.

“As one of the principal authors of the proposed law, I ask all the concerned government agencies to undertake a parallel effort in preparing the implementing rules and regulations of the legislative measure in anticipation for its passage very soon,” he said.

This will ensure that when the measure is signed, it could be immediately implemented, he said.

“The war against HIV/ AIDS must be strong, community-based and protect the most vulnerable sectors: millennial youths and adults, OFWs, and defenseless children,” he added.