ILOILO City – One person is diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) every 13 hours in Western Visayas, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
HIV is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
At a rate of six percent, Region 6 ranked fifth among regions in the country in the percentage of newly diagnosed HIV cases for the month of August alone, said Caroline Tumabotabo, Nurse V of DOH-6.
National Capitol Region had the highest rate at 31 percent followed by Region 4A with 17 percent, Region 3 with 11 percent, and Region 7 with 10 percent.
Data also showed that Western Visayas now had 2,740 cumulative cases (2,578 males and 162 females) since 1986.
Among provinces and highly urbanized cities in the region, Iloilo City had the highest number of HIV cases at 719 followed by Iloilo province (547), Negros Occidental (474), Bacolod City (441), Capiz (184), Aklan (178), and Guimaras (55).
Meanwhile, deaths in the region due to HIV-AIDS reached 278 as of August, said Tumabotabo.
All six province and two highly urbanized cities (Iloilo and Bacolod) in the region were reporting cases, she noted.
Also, said Tumabotabo, this year DOH-6 recorded one child (below 15 years old) diagnosed with HIV.
On a national scale, 31 new cases of HIV are diagnosed each day this year from two cases per day in 2009.
Dec. 1 each year is marked as World AIDS Day to raise public awareness on HIV-AIDS./PN
