LAST week, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV-Aids (UNAIDS) reported that the number of people getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country is growing at an alarming rate.
UNAIDS reports that from 2010 to 2018, new HIV cases in the Philippines grew by 203 percent, whereas cases worldwide fell by at least 18 percent. With the given data, UNAIDS has tagged the HIV-Aids situation in the Philippines as the “fastest-growing epidemic” in world.
“The Philippines has been projected to have 201,000 HIV cases by 2025, up from 56,000 cases in 2016 and 142,000 cases in 2022,” Louie Ocampo, UNAIDS country director, was quoted in a Philippine Star Report by Sheila Cisostomo on October 22.
There are a lot of factors as to the cause of this epidemic -- promiscuity, moral degradation, not practicing safe sex, lack of reproductive health education, brushing off discussions on sexual health, and stigma, among others. Health officials also noted that there has been increase in the number of patients getting tested HIV-Aids.
Just like any other diseases that threatens the population, it will be the whole country that will need to work to end the disease.
For a start, we can help improve the discussion on HIV-Aids. For some reason, here in the Philippines, discussions relating to sex or reproductive health has been seen as some sort of taboo -- many are ashamed to discuss it while others treat is as some sort of joke like hearing penis or vagina, which are medically correct terms, gets them laughing even if the discussion is serious.
The general public is also unfamiliar with HIV-Aids in general despite the efforts of different groups to educate them.
Through proper education, we can make not only the youth but the population as a whole understand reproductive health. It is also beneficial to the youth as they are in the age of exploring their sexuality.
“Kakaiba din ‘yong current generation, iba din ang practices. Dapat talaga ma-alarm, everyone should be alarmed about it and people should learn prevention or know about HIV the soonest possible time, the earliest possible time,” Dr. Jordana Ramiterre, Davao City Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC) head, said in an interview with SunStar Davao last week.
With proper education, this can serve as a shield to the youth who are exposed to social media 24/7. Many advocates have already attributed social media as a cause to more youth engaging in sex.
"Social media is one factor...why they are accessing sexual behavior. it made everything very accessible. One reason also is, at this age is sort of an exploratory stage with regards to their sexuality," Danvic Rosadiño, a program manager with LoveYourself, Inc., said in a CNN Philippines report on October 24.
It is commendable that advocates and organizations, like the LoveYourself, Inc. or the Olympus Society of Davao, who are doing their best to educate their community on HIV-Aids.
Maybe in educating the public, materials on HIV-Aids can be translated to local languages or dialects so more can understand the disease better.
We can make available all medicines and contraceptives to combat HIV-Aids. But if we do not educate people on what HIV-Aids is and how it can prevented, then these medicines and contraceptives may be useless.
The late Ernie Baron said, "Knowledge is power." Knowledge on HIV-Aids may just be the "power" we need to slow the growth of the disease in the country.