• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Active HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, cases in Bacolod City have reached 1,437, as of March, with three related deaths, local health officials said July 10.
Bacolod HIV/AIDS Awareness Program head, Jonathan Diaz, said a 15-year-old is the youngest recorded with HIV in Bacolod.
He added that hospitals are facing difficulties because some reactive HIV patients are lost to follow-up, making it impossible to link them to care or contact them further.
In response to the data, the city government has intensified its massive testing campaign across barangays and schools.
“We are intensifying the campaign. We will start by September, the academic year of more than 20-24 secondary high schools here in Bacolod, together with the Population Office. The (testing) is voluntary, especially to senior high school students,” Diaz stressed.
City health authorities said they are specifically targeting students, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and Business Process Outsourcing employees for the localized testing drive to ensure early detection and intervention. | TMD
