ZAMBOANGA
CITY: The “Latin City of the South” observed World AIDS Day last Tuesday, Dec.
2.
City
government and health officials made sense of the observation by walking from
Paseo del Mar to Cawa-cawa Boulevard.
Health
Officer Rodel Agbulos said the walk was also participated by the different
sectors and stakeholders.
To
recall, December 1, each year, the Zamboanga AIDS Council spearheads the AIDS
Walk, which seek out people’s awareness on the prevention and control of the
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
The
City’s HIV registry said it has accepted a total of 113 HIV cases in the city
from 1995 to October 2014, with some 23 deaths.
Of
the total number, 36 are transient cases with affected individuals coming from
the regions in Zamboanga Peninsula and ARMM.
City
Health authorities said most of those infected with HIV are somewhere in the
25-34 age bracket, followed by the younger 15-24 group and the 35-44 group.
Majority
of those who had AIDS are male patients while the known transmission is always through
sex, Agbulos stated.
The
CHO said they are continually monitoring the entry of transient travelers in
the city, especially those coming from Malaysia, as 20 of the HIV cases
documented are OFWs from the said country.
World
AIDS Day and the AIDS Walk pave the way for other CHO activities this December.
The
Ear, Nose, and Throat Consciousness Week follows from Dec. 3-9; National Health
Emergency and Preparedness Day, Head and Neck Consciousness Week, the National
Youth Health Day and the Firecracker Injury Prevention Month.