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Friday, October 03, 2003
WHO helps 4 cities in N. Luzon vs STDs
By Yolanda S. Fuertes
URDANETA CITY, Pangasinan -- The World Health Organization WHO) is assisting this city and three other cities in northern Luzon in its campaign to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among commercial sex workers, WHO Philippine Representative Jan Marc Olive said.
Olive met with different government and non-government officials and owners of entertainment establishments in this city last Monday to discuss technical assistance such as education, training and materials that the WHO will extend to address the problem of STDs.
He was also set to meet with similar groups in the cities of Dagupan, San Fernando in La Union and Laoag in Ilocos Norte.
"My purpose of being here in Urdaneta is because of another disease that's worrisome, (the) increase of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) in the Philippines particularly among professional sex workers, probably including Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-Aids)," Olive said.
He said it is simple to prevent STIs among sex workers, which is "by ensuring that they are surveyed and that indulging in (sexual) activity without wearing condoms."
The rule in sex establishments must be "no condom, no sex" and that the owners of the establishments must inculcate the importance of wearing condoms among the sex workers, Olive emphasized.
While he cannot tell the exact figure on STI cases in the country, Olive said the cases has been "dramatically on the rise" during the past 5-10 years" and this could be perhaps very few professional sex workers use condoms in the country.
Heath Secretary Manuel Dayrit said in 2001, the number of Chlamydia cases were anywhere from a low of 2.2 million to a high of 3.1 million while gonorrhea and syphilis were estimated to have about 482,000 and 80,000 cases.
Olive said in Thailand and Cambodia, the WHO was successful in reducing the incidence of STIs among commercial sex workers and that the WHO will try to do the same in the Philippines.
"Condoms prevent STIs," he stressed, adding that commercial sex workers know how costly it is to be treated for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis and worse, Aids which is much more difficult to cure."
"You die," he said, on what if one gets Aids.
The WHO is assisting the four cities because "they have motivated mayors who are pushing the issue of STI, a big and sensitive problem."
He said it was the mayors of the four cities that responded to a call of the WHO on whether they would welcome assistance on STD prevention.
Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. said the city council has passed an ordinance creating the multi-sectoral STD/HIV/Aids council for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV-Aids, which he chairs.
Among its provisions is requiring entertainment establishments to make prophylactics or condoms available within the establishments and for the owners or operators to put up a health education corners in the places that contain the condoms and prophylactic supplies and information materials on STD/HIV/Aids prevention.
It also requires weekly STD screening and other laboratory examinations of entertainers and others with similar occupations and for the City Health Office to maintain a list of entertainers indicating their ages and places of employment.
Perez said there are about 20 entertainment establishments in the city "which are not allowed to operate unless they adhere to our laws."
"We have to protect our residents but the club owners must also protect their own business," he said.
(October 3, 2003 issue)
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