Author: SHIPadmin

ACCESS to testing and treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been disrupted by the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a study conducted by a non-government organization and a US-based biopharmaceutical company.

In a statement for yesterday’s celebration of World’s AIDS Day, the Gilead Sciences Inc. and the Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP) said the study showed “more than 90 percent of people living with HIV as well as individuals at-risk in the Philippines reduced or delayed their visits to HIV clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It also said the disruption can set back efforts to reduce the HIV incidence rate.

The study showed that access to testing was reported to be most disrupted among individuals at-risk, with 64 percent reporting decrease in frequency of testing.

Travel restrictions (68 percent) and concerns about getting infected at point-of-care (68 percent) were the main reasons for the change in behavior.

This is in accordance with a statement of the Department of Health regarding its concerns over the lack of HIV testing in the country due to quarantine restrictions and travel constraints.

“Newly diagnosed cases in the Philippines dropped by 68 percent in the second quarter of the year compared to last year, but the DOH’s epidemiology bureau noted that there has been limited access to HIV services since March,” said Gilead and SHIP.

The study also showed that more than half of at-risk respondents in the Philippines have said they had either decreased or stopped their intake of antiretroviral medications.

“A total of 100% of them cited travel restrictions as the cause for the disruption,” said the study.

The study was conducted from October to mid-November 2020, in 10 countries/territories in the Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

There were 1,265 respondents, with 153 coming from the Philippines.

According to the DOH HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines, 81,169 HIV and AIDS cases have been reported from January 1984 to October 2020.

In October 2020 alone, there were 735 confirmed HIV-positive individuals.

In a statement, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the pandemic is not a reason to stop efforts to reduce HIV transmission.

“The 21 new HIV cases diagnosed every day means that the country is facing a public health threat, which needs the continuing cooperation and collaboration of all local communities, civil society organizations, key populations at risk, and the whole of government,” he said.

Source: https://malaya.com.ph/index.php/news_news/covid-pandemic-disrupted-hiv-care-testing-study/

MANILA, Philippines — The public has been urged to help end the stigma associated with AIDS and work together to boost the country’s capability in curbing health risks.

In a statement issued in observance of World AIDS Day yesterday, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government has undertaken measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, including the passage of a law that seeks to ensure access to preventive health services.

“As we commemorate World AIDS Day, we must not only help end the stigma of HIV/AIDS but also work together to increase the capacity of our country to early warning risk reduction and management of national and global health risks such as HIV/AIDS,” Roque said at a press briefing.

Roque said the law also punishes discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS and the disclosure of confidential HIV/AIDS-related information.

The Department of Health (DOH) said many Filipinos, mostly men, are still getting infected with human immunodeficiency virus or HIV even in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

Based on the DOH HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP), 735 people tested positive for HIV in October.

A majority or 704 of the new HIV infections are males.

The DOH reported that the cases recorded in October brought to 81,169 the total number of HIV and AIDS cases in the country since January 1984.

Among the 81,169 diagnosed cases, 94 percent or 76,216 were males and more than half or 41,163 were 25 to 34 years old at the time of the diagnosis.

The National Capital Region accounted for the highest number of cases with 30,622, followed by Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) with 12,467 and Central Luzon with 8,005.

Central Visayas posted a total of 6,827 cases and Davao Region with 4,477.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said HIV remains a public health threat with 21 new infections diagnosed daily among Filipinos.

Duque stressed the need for cooperation and collaboration among all sectors of society to prevent the spread of AIDS in the country.

“Despite the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we should all remain focused and resolute in our mandate of preventing and reducing transmission,” Duque said in a statement.

He issued the statement as the DOH and the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) observe this year’s World AIDS Day themed “Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility.”

This year’s theme recognizes and celebrates the contribution of partners and stakeholders to HIV response in the country.

Duque said health workers, civil society organizations, people living with HIV and various agencies all play a vital role in eliminating the stigma and discrimination as well as in providing accessible testing, treatment, care and support for people living with HIV.

The government, Duque said, would continue providing quality HIV and AIDS-related services, including addressing conditions that aggravate the spread of HIV infection such as poverty, gender inequality, marginalization and ignorance.

A study conducted by Gilead Sciences Inc. and the Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines indicated a disruption in access to HIV testing and treatment in the Philippines due to the pandemic.

The study revealed that more than 90 percent of people living with HIV as well as individuals at-risk of the infection reduced or delayed their visits to HIV clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disruption can set back efforts in trying to reduce the incidence rate, the study said.

In observance of World AIDS Day, the US embassy in Manila launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-funded program to support the Philippine government’s HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts.

Through PEPFAR, the US government committed more than P875 million over two years for the US-Philippine bilateral efforts against AIDS. – Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, Robertzon Ramirez, Delon Porcalla

link: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2020/12/02/2060894/help-end-stigma-against-aids-palace