AKLAN – The province of Aklan recorded 26 new infections of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from January 1 to March 23 this year.
Aklan also logged two deaths for the period. This brings to 34 deaths from HIV-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-related complications since 1986.
There have been 501 confirmed cases in Aklan from 1986 to March 23, 2023, predominantly attributed to men-having-sex-with-men (MSM).
In March this year, there were 2,078 HIV-positive individuals in the country, up by 35 percent compared to the same period last year.
The HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) also reported 114,008 confirmed HIV cases since the disease was first detected in the Philippines in 1984.
According to the World Health Organization, HIV is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system. HIV targets the body’s white blood cells, weakening the immune system. This makes it easier to get sick with diseases like tuberculosis, infections and some cancers.
HIV is spread through the body fluids of an infected person, including blood, breast milk, semen and vaginal fluids. It could be acquired by sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment. It can also spread through the placenta and infect the fetus during a mother’s pregnancy.
It is not spread by kissing, hugging or sharing food.
People diagnosed with HIV should be offered and linked to antiretroviral treatment (ART) as soon as possible following diagnosis and periodically monitored using clinical and laboratory parameters, including the test to measure the virus in the blood (viral load)./PN
