DOH repeats call for people with HIV to abide by treatment to avoid spread of resistant strain

Health Assistant Secretary Lyndon Lee Suy on Friday shared in an interview with Unang Balita an update on the reported drug-resistant strain of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) said to be currently prevailing in the Philippines.

READ: Drug-resistant strain could fuel rise in PHL HIV cases, experts warn

Suy confirmed that the Department of Health has been informed by the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB) about the said strain.

Both the DOH and NIMBB are encouraging people living with HIV (PLHIV) to strictly adhere to the prescribed medication.

"Lumitaw kasi na certain populations ng mga [PLHIV] natin ay hindi nag-ko-comply or hindi sinusunod 'yong gamutan," Suy said. "Nagkakaroon ngayon ng pagkakataon 'yong mikrobiyo na maging resistant do'n sa gamot na tine-take nila."

Just as a patient is obligated to complete a seven-week antibiotic treatment to avoid complications, so too should PLHIV commit to their medication in order to lead healthy lives.

NIMBB director Edsel Salvana in a previous interview with GMA News has cautioned the public about the risks of non-compliance to treatment, explaining that the most HIV cases in the country had shifted from the subtype B to a "more aggressive" subtype AE.

This change in subtype could have led to the alarming increase in the number of HIV cases, he said.

Suy seconded this and added that a PLHIV who engages in unprotected sex could pass this drug-resistant virus.

The spread of this drug-resistant virus could set the country back several steps more in its fight against a bigger epidemic, he said. —Aya Tantiangco/KG, GMA News