BAGUIO CITY—Health authorities revealed that the human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) cases in the Cordillera Administrative Region rose to 248 this year.
Geeny Anne Austria of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) said that from 1984 to April 2016, there have been 17 AIDS deaths, and 18 of the 248 reported HIV cases developed into full-blown AIDS.
Baguio City had the most number of HIV-AIDS cases with 177, followed by Benguet with 33, Abra with 27, Apayao with seven, Ifugao and Mountain Province with five each and Kalinga with four. Of the total number, 219 were males and 29 were females.
From January to April this year, no females were infected by the dreaded virus while 19 males were infected with HIV-AIDS, with seven males listed down in April alone.
Austria added that victims of HIV-AIDS belong to the age group 25 to 34 with 108 cases; the age group 34 to 49 with 65 cases; the age group 15 to 24 with 63 cases; those aged 50 and above with 10 cases; and those aged 15 with two cases.
In terms of mode of transmission, she reported that homosexuals topped the list with 111 cases, followed by heterosexuals with 66 cases, bisexual with 64 cases, unknown mode of transmission with four cases, perinatal with two cases and transfusion with one case.
According to Austria, there were 58 HIV-AIDS cases involving overseas Filipino workers during the 34-year reckoning period.
She claimed the increasing number of individuals affected by HIV-AIDS through men having sex with men is considered to be alarming, thus, the need for concerned government agencies, local governments and various stakeholders to be involved in the massive information education campaign for safe sex.