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Doctors praise Pia’s HIV advocacy, say stigma must be overcome


Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, accompanied by Bb. Pilipinas Charities Inc. chair Stella Marquez-Araneta and AFP Medical Center commander Colonel Joseph Acosta, listens to stories and experiences shared by young people involved in the HIV response, as well as those who have acquired the virus. Photo taken January 27, 2016. Photo: UNICEF
 

The Philippine College of Physicians Foundation praised Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach for joining the fight against HIV-AIDS, saying that her involvement will help spread awareness about the disease and save lives.

In a report on the Philippines updated May 2014, the World Health Organization said that while the country still has a relatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS patients, it has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the world.

"The past five years has seen a 587% increase in people reported as living with HIV [in the Philippines]," it said in the report.

Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana, Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, National Institutes of Health in the University of the Philippines Manila, said that the diagnosis rate among Filipinos for HIV has soared in recent years.

“The first cases of HIV in the Philippines were diagnosed in 1984. Between 1984 and 2005, HIV case rates locally were some of the lowest in the world, with about one case diagnosed every two days. [But] since 2006, the number of newly-diagnosed HIV-positive Filipinos has skyrocketed. From one case a day in 2006, we now have an average of one new case an hour,” he said.

According to Salvana, the current mean age of newly diagnosed HIV cases is 27, with 30 percent of new diagnoses being in the 15-24 age group. The epidemic is concentrated in the men who have sex with men (MSM) group, but is also spilling over into the general population. "We are currently seeing more and more HIV-positive women, including pregnant women," he said.

Getting rid of the stigma

PCP Foundation president Dr. Anthony Leachon said that getting tested for HIV should be a routine part of medical care.

“Stigma can be overcome by strong education and support from government. Media and celebrity endorsements are powerful tools for spreading the message to prevent infection and get tested early and often if you are at risk,” he said.

The doctors said that getting diagnosed early—and therefore starting treatment early—greatly improves life expectancy, with antiretrovirals (ARVs) available for free from HIV treatment centers all over the country.

According to the WHO, without treatment people with HIV can develop HIV-related illnesses in 5–10 years or earlier, while "the time between acquiring HIV and an AIDS diagnosis is usually between 10–15 years, but sometimes longer." Antiretroviral therapy can slow the progression of the disease.

Going by the current rate, the Department of Health expects that the number of HIV-positive Filipinos will reach 133,000 in 2022. The number is currently at 29,706 as of November 2015.

“A Filipino who is diagnosed with full-blown AIDS is six times more likely to die than someone who is diagnosed with HIV early and started on ARVs,” said Salvana. “On top of this, ARVs decrease the risk of transmitting HIV to a sexual partner by more than 96%. All this information can now reach the necessary audience with the help of Pia and other celebrities who are willing to take up the same advocacy.”

Wurtzbach has made HIV-AIDS advocacy one of her missions as Miss UNiverse, and has announced that she will get publicly tested in New York with the aim of decreasing the stigma about the disease.

On Wednesday, she spent time talking to youths with HIV as part of her Charity Day in the Philippines. — BM, GMA News

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