Health dept. steps up battle to curb HIV cases

September 29, 2018

The Department of Health (DOH) is intensifying its battle against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

In a statement Saturday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are going to address the rook cause.

“That’s why we’ve decided to partner with people and organizations that will allow us to address the root cause of this growing epidemic,” said Duque.

He said this is vital as  the number of Filipinos affected by HIV and AIDS "have drastically increased over the last couple of years.”

“Just over the past decade, the average rate of new HIV cases in the Philippines has grown from 1 per day to 31 per day,” added Duque.

Duque said they launched the LHIVE FREE campaign, which will be using modern means to disseminate information about HIV and AIDS, as well as to promote safe sex.

First, the DOH said, is to produce educational video materials to given to schools, local institutions, targeted people’s organizations, and communities all over the country.

There will also be seminars targeting support groups of People Living with HIV, including family members, friends, and other organizations to help create a safe and accepting environment for individuals with the virus so they will not feel afraid to ask for help.

“We need to equip people with the right knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Often times, they are not open to talking about anything that has to do with the disease in general because they see it as something that’s very distant from them, when in fact, there’s a big chance that someone they know might already be infected by the virus—and there’s an even bigger chance that that person infected by the virus is not aware that he or she has it already,” Duque said.

The Philippine National AIDS Council warned that HIV cases in the country are projected to reach 265,900. DMS