CV third nationwide on HIV cases – DOH

CEBU, Philippines -  Central Visayas is ranked as the third highest in the country with regards to the presence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDS, said the Department of Health.

According to the DOH statistics on the percentage of HIV ca-ses per region, of the 537 new HIV cases recorded in October 2014 nationwide, 10 percent of these or 53 individuals were in Central Visayas. The National Capital Region remains the highest with 38 percent, while Region IVA is second at 14 percent.

DOH records revealed that in October 2014, there were 537 “new HIV Absero-positive” individuals as confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central La-boratory and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This record is higher from the previous year’s 491.

According to the agency, 95 percent of the victims were male. The “median age” is 27 years old (age range from 18-57 years old). From this record, the 20-29 age group has the most number of ca-ses at 63 percent.

DOH said the virus’ common modes of transmission were sexual contact, (518 of the total cases reported were using it) and needle sharing (by drug users) with 19 cases.

Through sexual contact, 86 percent were males who had sexual intercourse with the fellow gender.  Based on the same data, from January to October last 2013, there were a total of 5,010 reported cases of HIV, 4,545 of which were “asymptomatic cases,” while 465 were AIDS cases. Of the number, 4,798 were males while 212 were females.

DOH further said that of the figure, 1,427 were youth (between the age of 15 and 24 years old), while four were children (below 15 years old).

From 1984 to last year, there have been a total of 21,526 cases reported, and of this figure, 9,674 were from the NCR, 2,743 or 13 percent from Region IVA, 9 percent or 1,927 cases from Central Visayas, and 8 percent or 1,709 cases from Region 3.

On the same period, the DOH has recorded 1,090 deaths among people affected by the disease. At least 901 of them were males, 132 were youth and 16 were children.

Last year, from January to October, there were 160 reported deaths caused by the same illness, 35 of them died in October alone. —NSA (FREEMAN)