Every first of December of each year, people across the
globe commemorate the battle of the victims of Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) and Acute Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Various activities are
undertaken during this day. Some march on the streets to show their support and
love to these people. Others would organize some parties and gimmicks to
showcase their beliefs and to end the stigma of HIV. The citizens around the
world, at least for one day, unite as one with one vision and one goal.
Here in Cebu, a fun run will happen this Saturday in
relation to the celebration of World AIDS Day. As the race will start in
Parkmall this coming Saturday, December 5, Cebu will prove to the world that
they are one with the cause. The event aims to promote awareness and prevention
among Cebuanos.
Every single year, the number of cases of HIV is rising.
From the data provided by the National Epidemiology Center of the Department of
Health, every day 21 Filipinos are being infected by this deadly virus. Each
day, 21 Filipinos will start to feel feverish. Each day, 21 Filipinos will
experience weight loss. Each day, 21 Filipinos will suffer the consequences of
HIV.
Within 2-4 weeks after HIV infection, many, but
not all, people develop flu-like symptoms, often described as “the worst flu
ever.” Symptoms can include fever, swollen glands, sore throat, rash, muscle
and joint aches and pains, and headache. This is called “acute retroviral
syndrome” (ARS) or “primary HIV infection,” and it’s the body’s
natural response to the HIV infection.
During this early period of infection, large amounts of
virus are being produced in the body. The virus uses CD4, the cell that
helps a person fight diseases, count to replicate and destroys them in the
process. Because of this, the person’s CD4 cells can fall rapidly.
Eventually his immune response will begin to bring the level of virus in his
body back down to a level called a viral set point, which is a relatively
stable level of virus in your body. At this point, his CD4 count begins to
increase, but it may not return to pre-infection levels. It may be particularly
beneficial to the health to begin ART during this stage.
During the acute HIV infection stage, a person is at high
risk of transmitting HIV to your sexual or drug using partners because the
levels of HIV in your blood stream are very high. For this reason, it is very
important to take steps to reduce risk of transmission.
This is the reason why that the Department of Health in partnership
with various government and non-government organizations are having some
massive campaign to fight this deadly disease. They have already came up with numerous
programs to at least prevent this disease. Here in Cebu, a government organization
stood out with their campaign against HIV.
Cebu Plus is an organization established here in Cebu composed
of men having sex with men (MSM) outreach workers and peer educators, some are
trained HIV counselors, and then we also have the nurse or medical technologist
to do the blood extraction. They do some mobile outreach activity that aims to bring
the services to the client’s doorsteps or at the grassroots community level
instead of them visiting the facility.
Jerson See, founder of Cebu Plus, said that he organized the
said organization in order to help Cebuano victims of the said disease.
“I had a vision of helping young people who were living with
HIV. The work was very hard, emotionally draining. In 2009, we formalized and
registered Cebu Plus,” said See.
He added that establishing such organization is very
challenging.
“Just getting ourselves established was a challenge in
itself, in the face of stigma against our community that endures even now.
There were also financial challenges. For example, we didn’t have a CD4 machine
in Cebu at the time. Many of us contributed 200 pesos each, and then kept
contributing, to help give poor people subsidized services. It was a personal
commitment. I’m actually not fazed by challenges, as I see every problem as an
opportunity,” he said.
Beyond that, he also applauded the achievements that they
have done in since Cebu Plus was established six years ago.
“Partnerships are perhaps our biggest success. Not too long
ago, continuum of care was just a concept. But now, through the partnerships
between Cebu Plus and other community-based organizations and the government
health services it’s more like a one-stop shop,” he ended.
Cebu Plus has indeed provided a helping hand in the cause
against HIV especially here in Cebu City. It is because the city ranked number
one in terms of prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among all
cities in the country, an official from the Department of Health-7 (DOH-7)
noted in a report Monday (June 8). Among the regions, Central Visayas is
currently ranked second next to the National Capital Region in the most number
of persons living with HIV.
A law is existing to help combat this disease, which is the
Republic Act No. 8504 or the Philippine AIDS
Prevention and Control Act of 1998. According to BRUCE VILLAFUERTE RIVERA,
a professor, and member of the LGBT community, how outdated the law has
become despite the fact that it is only 17 years old.
He added in his article at GMA News online that Philippine laws are sadly deficient to address the problem. RA 8504 needs to be amended and fast.
First, there no distinction
between an HIV positive person from a full-blown AIDS patient. The present law
gives an impression that both are the same conditions because of its silence on
the matter. If the law spells out the difference, the institutions mandated to
implement and create policies will be able to make more detailed and sensible
actions.
Second,
the law fails to highlight the ways by which the disease is transmitted. Worst,
it gives the impression that HIV/AIDS is contagious. It fails to point out that
the weakened immune system is the one that attracts opportunistic diseases
which may be contagious. While implementing rules may be able to point that
out, the reality is, somehow it is lost in translation in its implementation.
Third,
the law gives much of the implementation to government agencies that lack the
necessary technical exposure to validly quasi-legislate HIV prevention. Sadly,
the government mandate given by the law focused more on the matter of post
transmission, testing, confidentiality and counseling. Preventing the
transmission of the disease by focusing on the high-risk groups needs to be
legislated and given equal emphasis.
He added
that there is a need to regulate the operation of establishment of places
(motels, bathhouses, gay bars, massage parlors, spas, movie houses and fitness
centers) frequented by high-risk groups (MSM, IV drug users, etc.) to make sure
condoms and IV needles are readily available or even, provided for free by the
government as a condition for granting of permits.
The
present law allows condoms to be distributed with the statement that abstinence
and having one sexual partner is the best form of prevention. However, that is
not reality-based and merely reinforces the guilt of being promiscuous that
causes them to hide.
Fourth,
there is an urgent need to make HIV/AIDS education more pro-active and
repetitive. While sex education is taught in basic education, there is a need
to broaden the scope of sex education to include HIV prevention.
It must
begin with recognizing the fact that sex education must not be homophobic.
Teaching about sex should not be about how our faith sees it but should be
reality-based, technical and honest. We should teach them that even though the
penis enters the vagina most of the time during a sexual act thereby creating babies,
it is not true all the time.
It is
imperative to explain that there is a specific group of people who do not
follow the conventional way of copulation and the ways to be protected from
diseases like STD and HIV. Presently, a homosexual child is growing up confused
and ignorant about sex. Proper sex education will create the attitude of
responsibility and self-preservation and will minimize the trial and error
attitude that gays resort to growing up. This is the disturbing reason why a
substantial number of HIV+ patients are gays under 15 years old.
The
Sexual Harassment Law mandates all companies and schools to have seminars on a
yearly basis to regularly inform employees and students on the issue of sexual
harassment or risk being prosecuted for harassment itself. That same amount of
vigilance is required in cases of HIV information.
Lastly, HIV
should not be romanticized and glamorized. It just sends the wrong message.
Filipinos need to be shocked and jolted with fear to get the point. Beautiful
people portraying HIV, their smooth skin, red lips and healthy pink smiles do
not show us the urgency and seriousness of the HIV problem in the Philippines.
Because
this is the reality of the HIV situation in the Philippines: There is no reason
to smile. And the law is not helping anymore.
Aside from addressing the lack of correct knowledge about
HIV/AIDS, a public education campaign should focus on correcting the attitudes
and behaviors that drive up the number of new cases. Misunderstanding creates
unfounded fears. People ostracize people living with HIV/Aids, driving them to
drop out of school or work or leave families.
Instead of moralizing and judging, members of a community
should encourage those who have had unprotected sex to volunteer for HIV
testing in the country’s testing centers.
Needing also wider dissemination is information that the
government gives free antiretroviral drugs, which weaken the virus. The drugs
help the immune system recover, allowing people living with HIV to live longer
and delay the full development of HIV into AIDS.
For in-school youths, colleges and universities offer
trained counseling and peer guidance to address varied concerns with
sensitivity and confidentiality. Online campaigns can reach out to the confused
and socially isolated. If schools can hold fire and earthquake drills, we can
also create an appropriate mechanism to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids, as well
as the ignorance and stigma that are as threatening as the virus to public
health.
Notes:
(The Graphs are made in accordance to the March 2015 Research of DOH)
