CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY,
May 15 (PNA) -– Officials of the Department of Health (DOH) in Northern
Mindanao on Thursday raised the “red flag” over what they see as an alarming
upsurge of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the region.
Dr. Evelyn Magsayo,
DOH regional HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) program
manager, said the regional health department has diagnosed 30 new HIV-positive
patients during the first quarter of this year.
Magsayo said that
eight of the HIV positive patients came from Cagayan De Oro City while the
remaining 22 are from the other cities and provinces of Northern Mindanao.
According to Magsayo,
her office has recorded an increase of about 50 percent of HIV-AIDS cases in
Northern Mindanao since 2012.
The Northern Mindanao
region is comprised of the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental,
Bukidnon and Camiguin Island as well as eight cities with Cagayan De Oro City
as the regional trading hub.
According to DOH
records, the number of HIV-AIDS cases were only 40 in 2012.
However, the number
rose to 85 cases in 2013 or an increase of over 50 percent.
“On an annual patient
count, the number of cases is still considered minimal.
However, an annual
increase of about 50 percent is certainly alarming,” Magsayo told local media.
Magsayo urged those
who have doubts of contracting HIV to immediately seek medical assistance since
detecting the HIV virus at an early stage could still be manageable.
“HIV is only an infection
while AIDS is already a disease which remains incurable,” she said.
The AIDS disease
could still be contained if the HIV is detected earlier, Magsayo added.
Magsayo said that
sexual contacts were the primary source of HIV - accounting for nearly 99
percent of the patients who were diagnosed with HIV infections.
According to the DOH,
men who have sex with men (MSM) in the 24 to 46 years old age bracket
registered the highest cases of HIV infections and AIDS diseases in Northern
Mindanao. (PNA)
CMR/CD/UTB
CMR/CD/UTB
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