KALIBO, Aklan – The municipal council has allocated budget for the campaign against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as part of its 2019 annual investment program.
Councilor Cynthia Dela Cruz, chairwoman of the Sangguniang Bayan committee on health, said the allocation followed after they approved a resolution making the municipal government adopt Republic Act 8504, or the Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998.
“HIV/AIDS education and information dissemination shall form part of the delivery of health services by health practitioners, workers, and personnel including the affected individuals and groups,” stressed Dela Cruz.
Records from the Provincial Health Office showed that there are a total of 125 cases of HIV and AIDS in Aklan since 1986. Many of these cases were recorded in Kalibo.
This is why “the local government of Kalibo has developed its thrust to promote value formation and employ scientifically proven approaches” against the virus and the disease, said Dela Cruz.
HIV targets the immune system and weakens people’s defense systems against infections and some types of cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
AIDS, on the other hand, is the most advanced stage of HIV infection.
It is characterized by the development of certain cancers, infections, or other severe clinical manifestations, the WHO added./PN
