23 HIV-AIDS cases reported in Negor in 4 months

DUMAGUETE CITY — Health authorities here have disclosed that a total of 23 HIV-AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus–acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) cases were reported in Negros Oriental from January 1 to April this year.

Dr. Socrates Villamor, chief of the Department of Health (DOH) - Negros Oriental, said during the Kapihan sa PIA forum on Friday that these cases were not just in the capital city of Dumaguete but elsewhere in the province as well.

He, however, did not give additional details for confidentiality reasons.

Dr. Ma. Sarah Tala, Dumaguete City Health Officer, also said that to date, their records show 54 cases of HIV-AIDS in Dumaguete City as of 2018 as they have not yet received updated reports for this year.

Since the start of the database reporting of HIVAIDS cases from 1984 to April 2019, a total of 203 cases were reported in Negros Oriental, Villamor added.

He, however, acknowledged that they cannot keep track of the exact number of cases in the province because the test results are released back to the facility where the confirmatory test was made. “So we need to get our data from the national (DOH) office,” he said.

In Central Visayas

(Region 7), a total of 175 deaths from HIV-AIDS were recorded from 1984 to April 2019, Villamor said, adding that of the total, 17 deaths were reported in the region from January to April this year.

He said that based on regional data, the number one mode of HIV-AIDS transmission in the region is male having sex with another male (159 cases), followed by male having sex with a male or female (75 cases), heterosexual sex (39 cases), and injecting drug use (36 cases).

Most of the cases of injecting drug use are found in Cebu, he said.

Meanwhile, Tala said they partner with the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH) for Voluntary Counseling and Testing for clients as they do not have their own treatment hub.

Tala said they do counseling at the City Health Office and “we are fortunate that we have the Dumaguete City HIV-AIDS Council that has allocated a budget for activities,” especially for training for partners and educators for the prevention and control of sexually-transmitted infections and HIVAIDS.

Villamor said that some of the 23 people living with HIV-AIDS in Negros Oriental have availed of the services of the treatment hub at NOPH while others go to Cebu or Bacolod CITY./PNA