by Lito Dar

City Health Services Office (HSO) Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC) head Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes affirmed that there are three new cases of HIV recorded this first quarter of 2011 bringing the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in the city to 44, with 17 deaths, since surveillance started in 1992.

According to Brillantes, the three new cases involves two males aged 22 and 32 years old who are both categorized as MSM (Men having Sex with Men)and a 39 years old female.

Brillantes affirmed the increasing cases of HIV/AIDS, especially among the MSM groups, which is why they are intensifying the surveillance and IEC campaign to the said groups as they are now the vulnerable sector to HIV infections.

Based on the city’s HSO-RHWC HIV/AIDS Registry data, in 2007, out of the five cases recorded, two were MSMs, two HIV cases recorded in 2008 were both MSM. In 2009, two of five recorded cases were MSM, and last year there were four MSM cases out of the six HIV cases recorded.

Of the total 44 HIV cases, 30 were males with the youngest just 17 years old, 19 were overseas contract workers, 12 MSMs, four are blood donors, three were wives of persons with HIV (PWH), two foreigners, a sexually active male and a female who still has an unknown cause of disease.

As for the RHWC, Brillantes stressed that aside from the continuous advocacy and IEC campaign, they are also regularly conducting HIV/AIDS surveillance, conducting trainings to new entertainers, conducting night inspections and contact tracing.

The HSO and RHWC, is also at the forefront of the city’s AIDS Watch Council (AWAC), a multi-sectoral group headed by Dr. Charles Cheng, a long time partner of the city government in combating HIV/AIDS. AWAC’s framework focuses on the prevention, service delivery, advocacy, IEC campaign, and research. *(PIA CAR)