ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/23 May) – The number of confirmed cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) in the city since January has climbed from six to 10 from, a health official said.
City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos said Friday the number increased after the Department of Health’s Research Institute for Tropical Medicine told them the four patients whose blood samples were sent for confirmation tested positive for the disease.
Agbulos said the recent results brought the total number of HIV-AIDS cases in the city to 90 since 1995.
He said 85 percent of the 90 recorded patients are males and 18 of them have already died.
He said they don’t have information on the status of the 43 transients or patients who are not residents here.
He said the transients just came here for testing and returned to their places of origin afterwards.
He added 26 patients are overseas Filipino workers who volunteered to undergo tests, while others were found to have HIV-AIDS after undergoing screening as blood donors.
Agbulos said they will strengthen the advocacy campaign in schools particularly in the secondary level since they are highly vulnerable.
He noted that most of those afflicted belong to the 15-34 age group. (MindaNews)
