AIDS Doesn’t Matter
by: Ma. Isabela Arcadia Agawin
HIV, AIDS. You can get it too.
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus or more commonly as HIV is a virus that causes your immune system to weaken, allowing important cells to be destroyed, making a person unresponsive to fight back against any types of sickness, disease and virus. This virus can destroy cells like the CD4 cells or T-cells or CD4 T lymphocyte, a type of white blood cell whose role is to fight against infection and to protect the immune system. If the HIV enters one of your T-cells, it copies itself with it and kills the original cell and eventually spreads across other cells in your body. Once a person is confirmed to have HIV, he/she will have it for the rest of his/her life.
When the body is weakened and not able to fight back against infections, sooner or later a person will reach the HIV’s last stage, AIDS.
According to Aids.gov, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or AIDS is a syndrome, rather than a single disease, because it is a complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms. This type of syndrome could be inherited from your parents. Victims with AIDS have a short life span; seeking medical attention is very essential to help prevent death.
What’s your mode?
An individual can acquire HIV or AIDS in 3 different ways. It may be through unprotected and/or penetrative sex, by blood and blood products and through passing it off from the mother to her child.
The first mode of transmission usually happens when two people engage into sex without the use of condoms, with methods of penetrations like penis to vagina, penis to anus or penis to mouth. This mode is most common to all, but HIV is not easily transmitted through this action but rather through blood and blood products.
The most efficient way to acquire HIV is through blood transfusion or organ transplant. That is why people who are willing to donate their blood and organs must go through medical procedures first to prevent the passing on of the virus. Also, the sharing of needles in injecting drugs is also an efficient way to pass HIV since the needles used aren’t clean or sterilized.
The last and the least most efficient mode of transmission is the parent to child or mother to child transmission. A mother who is having the virus can pass it on to her child during pregnancy, during childbirth or through breastfeeding.
The virus can be present in four major body fluids that are the blood, semen, vaginal fluids and the breast milk.
Figuring it out
As of the moment, people infected with HIV/AIDS are around 35 million people around the globe. There are 3.2 million children who have inherited HIV from mothers carrying this virus during pregnancy. The highest number of citizens having HIV/AIDS is in Sub-Sudan, Africa with around 23.5 million adults and children affected. This is followed by countries in South and South East Asia with a number of 4 million victims, both still with adults and children.
Based on an article from Inquirer.net, there are 486 new cases of Filipinos being infected with this disease. A total of 43% increase since 2013 HIV/AIDS figures. According to the Department of Health, there are about 16,964 total cases of HIV/AIDS from the year 1984 to 2014.
As of 2014, statistics show that most of the victims with HIV/AIDS are males. There are 434 males who have been diagnosed with the virus, summing up about 15,094 confirmed cases since 1984. Females to have been confirmed having HIV/AIDS is only about 14 this year, reaching 1,859 cases since 1984. Victims’ ages ranges from 17-73 years old; most of them are aged 25-29 years old regardless of gender.
The research conducted by the Department of Health shows that the top modes of the transmission of HIV/AIDS is 99% coming from sexual intercourse, with 85% from male to male sex. The other 1% comes from needle sharing among injecting drug users.
Hotspot jackpot
Just this first quarter of 2014, findings show that Northern Mindanao is now the hotspot of HIV/AIDS with 30 new-recorded cases earlier this year. According to an interview from Inquirer.net, with Dr. Evelyn Magsayo sexually transmitted infection prevention control program officer for the Department of Health (DOH) in Northern Mindanao, described the transmission of HIV in the region as “fast and furious.” Back in 2008, there are a total of 45-recorded cases in region X and figures rose up to 69 the year after.
Most of the HIV/AIDS cases in the region do not come from the inheritance of mother-to-child but rather from unprotected sexual intercourses. The youngest victim from the first quarter of 2014 is a 14-year old boy; the oldest is a 70-year-old man.
Government officials are concerned with the rampant rise of the virus because of the constant and casual unprotected sex among the youth.
It’s secret safe
“HIV is already here. Whether you go to provinces or other cities, it is all around. It’s the price of development,” says Dr. T. Joselito A. Retuya Jr., City Government Assistant Department Head II (Assistant City Health Officer) of Cagayan de Oro. Dr. Retuya said that most of the victims of HIV in the city are males than females. “You’ll never know if you have HIV if you don’t get tested.” Dr. Retuya added.
Since HIV doesn’t have symptoms, one can never determine if he/she is already having the virus unless going through proper medical procedures. But one can avoid HIV by following ABCDE: Abstaining from sex, Being faithful to one’s partner, Correct and consistent use of condoms, Do not do drugs, and Educating oneself.
The government responds to the issue by encouraging individuals to have them checked for HIV. The City Health Office is offering free HIV testing for individuals who may be at risk with the virus. “It’s not mandatory meaning to say it’s voluntary and confidential. It is not your occupation, but your behavior that makes you at risk,” Dr. Retuya points out.
People can approach several testing centers here in the city namely, German Doctors Hospital, Northern Mindanao Medical Center, Cagayan de Oro Social Hygiene Clinic and other tertiary hospitals that are open for testing HIV.
But what does really matter nowadays? In the end, it’s all up to your decision.
