73 HIV cases recorded in Cordillera from January to June 2023

Baguio City, Philippines – For the first six months of 2023, the Cordillera Region listed 73 cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to the Department of Health - Cordillera.

Most of the cases belong to the 24-34 age group, with 33 individuals positive for the virus, while 25 belong to the 15-24 age group.

For the 35–49 age group, 13 individuals were HIV-positive, while 2 others were in the 50–49 age bracket.

According to Darwin Babon, Regional Program Manager for the HIV/STI Prevention Control Program, seven of those infected by the virus are already dead.

Same-sex sexual intercourse remains the main mode of transmission of the virus, he added.

With said number, the region has now a total of 1,008 confirmed HIV cases since 1984.

Of said number, 638 are undergoing treatment and on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), while 309 have discontinued receiving the treatment. Meanwhile, 61 of this number were reported to have succumbed to the virus.

In connection, Babon likewise reported that there are three provinces in the region that will be opening a treatment area for HIV this year.

These include Far North Medical Center in Apayao, La Paz Rural Health Unit in La Paz, Abra, and Kalinga Provincial Hospital.

The treatment areas in Abra and Apayao are now up for assessment, while in Kalinga, the letter of intent to have such a facility was recently forwarded to the regional office.

As of this writing, only three medical facilities in the region cater to individuals needing such treatment, which include Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC), the Health Services Office-Baguio (HSO), and Notre Dame de Chartres Hospital.

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