ILOILO CITY -- The Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district in this city will be the site for the Rapid HIV Diagnostics Laboratories (rHIVda) and is waiting for certification from the Department of Health (DOH).
Christine B. Mosqueda, assistant nurse coordinator of DOH-Center for Health Development (CHD) in Western Visayas, said on Monday that currently, there is only one confirmatory laboratory in the Philippines, which is in San Lazaro Hospital STD-AIDS Central Cooperative Laboratory.
While this prevents double reporting, sometimes the turnaround time for confirmation sometimes takes a month to be released due to high demand generation since there are already a lot of HIV testing centers.
“rHIVda is a series of screening tests. There are two to three tests and they were found positive then there is no need to send to the national,” she said in a press conference.
She hoped that the diagnostic laboratories can soon start its operation as the hospital has already trained personnel and equipment.
She clarified though that that confirmatory testing is not a requirement to start the antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is the use of HIV medicines to treat the infection.
Once the person is found reactive during the test, he/she will be linked to his/her preferred treatment center to undergo assessment and baseline laboratories. Under the Enhanced Linkage Care, they can already start with the treatment.
The confirmatory is necessary when there are doubtful cases.
Apart from the WVMC, the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City is also being eyed as rHIVda center.
Meantime, DOH data showed that during the first two months of 2019, Western Visayas has 163 new HIV cases. Of these new cases, 154 are males and nine are females.
Since the start of monitoring in 1986 until February 2019, the region has already 3,175 HIV cases with 303 deaths.
The DOH data further showed that in February, one person was diagnosed with HIV every nine hours.
Of the cumulative data, 791 were from Iloilo City, 666 in Iloilo province, 554 from Negros Occidental, 506 from Bacolod City, 222 from Capiz, Aklan has 209, Antique has 164 and Guimaras with 63.
Mosqueda said that while the highest detection rate came from Iloilo City, it doesn’t mean that they all got the infection from this highly urbanized city.
She said Iloilo City, being the capital of Western Visayas, hosts regional offices, civil society organizations (CSOs) where technical and funding support from national and international hubs is available.
There are also established treatment hubs and specialized clinic for people living with HIV in Iloilo City such as the WVMC, The Medical City and the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines with the latter specializing on young people and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT).
All Tuberculosis-Directly Observed Treatment Short (TB-DOTS) course centers are also offering HIV testing, she added.
“People converge where there is plenty of services center,” she said.
Meantime, on May 19 the Regional Multi-sectoral Partnership for STI, HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control will hold an AIDS Candlelight Memorial at St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary.
Mosqueda said that this celebration is “more solemn” when compared with the World AIDS Day.
She said that various offices are also encouraged to conduct advocacies such as display of red ribbons in solidarity with the memorial activity. (PNA)
