Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Loren alarmed by rising HIV/AIDS cases

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE AND DECISIVE STEPS TO CONTAIN THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS IN THE COUNTRY, ACCORDING TO SEN. LOREN LEGARDA.

Loren, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, made the call in the wake of recent findings that HIV/AIDS cases have risen in the country, particularly among those working in call centers.

“While call centers and the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry are big revenue earners for the country, I am alarmed over reports that incidence of HIV/AIDS among call center workers is on the rise. This should be looked into by health authorities,” Loren said.

Loren noted that while there is already legislation in place to address the problem—Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998—firm enforcement and a sustained information, education and communication campaign should be undertaken to stop the spread of the disease.

Loren cited the importance of heightening awareness of HIV/AIDS among various sectors, especially the youth who are likely to engage in risky unprotected sex.

While the preventive aspect is important, Loren said, health authorities should also intensify efforts to remove the social stigma of the disease and help those afflicted by the disease to live normal lives.

Loren pointed out that while the Philippines is a low-HIV-prevalence country, with less than 0.1 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV-positive, the government should nevertheless invest enough resources in preventing the spread of the deadly disease and keeping it from reaching epidemic proportions.

The Health Department said that 322 people were newly infected from January to May in 2009, with 85 cases in May alone. Since 1984, the country has recorded 3,911 HIV cases.

In July last year, amid reports that the Philippines reported 85 new cases in one month, Renaud Meyer, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, expressed concern over the increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines. “We are not doing good [in controlling HIV] because instead of reversing and halting it, we see increasing cases,” Meyer said.


Via: http://lorenlegarda.com.ph/news_105_Loren_alarmed_by_rising_HIVAIDS_cases.php

8 comments:

  1. its obvious in our environment that happens now adays because most of the people even the young ones are liberated they adopt the culture of the western country. Well in fact theyre aware of what happen after. Thats why HIV are prone now. Good that senator voice out this problem in orded that they will wake up and guilty of what theyre doing.

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  2. haist sana din matulungan ang may mga HIV dito sa pinas para kahit papano paiwasan siyang kumalat.. mabgyan ng gamot upang maiwasan.. salamat nlng kay sen.loren kahit papano gumgwa siya ng campaign foir this same as for our enviroment din salamat sen. loren... idolo k tlga ng kabataan

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  3. Over!nakakaalarma nmn tlga ang rising numbers of hiv cariers dito sa pilipinas to think that we belong to one of the most conservative countries in the universe..kakatakot tlga bkit ngyari toh OMG

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  4. ako din sbrang ngulat nung napanood ko ung news about sa rising numbers of hiv cases here in our coutry grabe totoo pla na sbrnag lganap na ang aids ngayon kac nmn ung mga tao prang laro na lng pra sa knila ang sex which is dapat i practice ng tama kc nkaksira to ng image natin lalo n ng bansa natin

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  5. dapat tlga ma-prevent na ang gnitong bgay kc kahiya hiya ito para s ating lhat at sbrang nkakagulat ang balitang ito!!!

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  6. naku sobra na talaga ka westernized noh??haguy ayaw tawn palabi mga tawo sa inyong gebuhat sala tawn na. Kamu rapod mag saol anang inyo gebuhat, ngano man jud magbuhat mo ana?/unsa inyo purpose??mao na karon kasagaran dali ra magbulag mga couple kay grabeh na ka adik diay mga tawo mao na metaas ang percent sa sakit nga hiv. mag ampo gyod ko na henaot ma control na intawn ni nga dili naayong buhat. maayo kay nagpahibaw ka senator para ma control na intawn ni..zThanks for the concern madam..

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  7. sbrang kakagulat ang balitng ito at tke note ang kramihan pa sa mga carrier ng aids is ung mga taong wroking in a call center bkit kya ano bng meron dun??? im so curios hhehehehe

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  8. You know wat rey an theyre very liberated as wat i think..How sad of wat happened in our environment its very degrading in our part coz many of the youngs now will follow if it will not be prohibited..

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