GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Health personnel here have raised concern over the increasing number of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) cases among younger individuals.
Zyrnx John Octavio, HIV/AIDS Core Team (HACT) nurse and HIV counselor of the City Health Office (CHO), said Monday such trend was based on the detected cases among local residents since last year.
He said the youngest person living with HIV in the city so far is a 16-year-old male, who is currently undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) through the city’s Social Hygiene Clinic.
“Our cases are getting younger and this is really a concern for us right now,” he said in an interview.
Citing their assessment, Octavio said among factors influencing the spread of HIV/AIDS is the “easy access” by young people to social media, including dating applications.
Another is the lack of awareness among young people on various sexual risks and the practice of safe sex, he said.
Last year, he said 30 individuals came out positive of HIV from the 315 who volunteered to undergo testing through the clinic.
Octavio said that since January they have already recorded 88 new cases of the disease, with 27 only detected last July.
A CHO report said most of these cases involved individuals aged 22 to 25-years-old who were engaged in “risky sexual behaviors.”
They include gays, bisexuals, men who have sex with men or MSMs, and others who engage in unprotected sex and with multiple partners.
Octavio urged concerned residents to get tested so they can be aware of their status and get early treatment through ART in case they turn out positive.
The government, through the Department of Health (DOH), funds the free treatment, which mainly stops the multiplication of the patients’ viral load and prevents them from infecting other people.
The DOH accredited the CHO’s Social Hygiene Clinic in 2018 as a satellite treatment hub for HIV/AIDS patients.
Octavio said most of their clients are from Barangays Calumpang, Lagao, Apopong, Fatima, and Labangal, the city’s biggest and most populous areas. (PNA)
