ILOILO CITY, Oct. 9 (PNA) — Iloilo City posted the highest number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Western Visayas.
Latest cumulative data from the Department of Health regional office show that from 1984 to 2015, Iloilo City has the highest number of reported HIV cases at 254.
Negros Occidental province and Bacolod City followed with 183 cases each and Iloilo with 170 cases.
Capiz province posted the third highest cases with 68, followed by Aklan with 55.
Antique and Guimaras, which are noted for zero reported cases in the previous years, now has 34 and 17 reported cases, respectively.
Christine Mosqueda, DOH-6 regional Sexually Transmitted Infection nurse coordinator, said in July 2015, one person was diagnosed with HIV daily in Region 6.
Mosqueda said from 1986-July 2015, 91 percent of those diagnosed with HIV are males, while nine percent are females.
Most HIV cases were contracted through male having sex with male at 392; 274, heterosexual sex; and 290, bisexual sex. Two cases were contracted through mother-to-child transmission, one by blood transfusion, and five cases were undetermined.
Meanwhile, DOH-6 data showed that the new HIV cases in Western Visayas are the fifth highest in the country.
“Five percent of these new cases in the country is from the region, while 38 percent are from the National Capital Region (NCR), 16 percent are from CALABARZON, 12 percent from Central Luzon, four percent each from Davao Region and SOCCSKARGEN,” Mosqueda said.
As of July 2015, there are 31 reported HIV cases in the region, five of which are AIDS. Of the persons inflicted with the virus, 28 are males and three are females. Nineteen of these reported cases are in age bracket 25-34 and seven are age 15-24 years.
In January to July 2015, DOH-6 recorded 48 cases of HIV in persons age 15-24; 108 in persons age 25-34; 37, age 35-39 years old; and six, 50 years old and older.
The number of persons who died of HIV/AIDS in Negros Occidental increased to 11 as of July 2015, from nine in 2014 and five in 2013.
In Iloilo province, the number of HIV/AIDS deaths declined to seven as of July 2015, from 10 in 2014 and four in 2013.
In Iloilo City, five persons died of HIV/AIDS as of July 2015.
Mosqueda said while the law respects the right to privacy of persons with regard to AIDS testing, she assured that those who seek their help will be given proper care, including pre- and post-test counselling.
She said the DOH also encourages pregnant women to get tested for HIV, citing the two cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission cases in the region. (PNA)