Bulacan sees educating its people will help combat HIV and AIDS

CITY OF MALOLOS – To help achieve a positive outcome of halting the spread of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS), the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) continues its battle against the deadly viruses by educating its people.

While the PGB supports the Department of Health’s drive to encourage the public to practice “ABCDE” or the abstinence, being faithful, correct and consistent use of condoms, don’t use drugs and early detection or treatment to avoid the risk of becoming infected with HIV, Bulacan also promotes education and voluntary blood donation as ways of helping Bulakenyos to be more cautious and conscious of their health.

Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado said that while there are numbers of preventive strategies aimed at reducing the risk of HIV transmission and acquisition, social stigma must also be addressed.

“Yung mga apektado ng sakit na ‘to, hindi lang sila nasasaktan physically, nasasaktan din sila ng mga mapang-uring mata ng mga tao, minsan kahit mismo ng mga kapamilya o kamag-anak. The best that we can do to help them is pray for them and let them know that there are people who are willing to assist them and that they can be of help to others too,” Alvarado said.

According to the latest report from the National Epidemiology Center (NEC), from January to December 2014, there were 198 individuals diagnosed with HIV and 24 of them are positive with AIDS.

The Provincial Public Health Office reiterated that as stated in the NEC report more males are being infected with HIV with 508 cases last year. The ballooning was the effect of unsafe same gender sex.

Bulacan has already created the Provincial AIDS Council which became the central advisory, planning and policy making for the comprehensive and the integrated HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control as stated in Executive Order No. 1 s 2013.

After its creation, the council is now lobbying for ordinances to be passed so that sustainable programs for the benefit of the people living with HIV and AIDS will be implemented.

Meanwhile, the PPHO is continuously crafting approaches to make the information dissemination campaign be more effective.