By PNA
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) advocates have raised the alarm over rising cases of the deadly disease among teenagers and young adults in the city.
Peter James Verula, volunteer of the HIV/AIDS advocacy group Pink Salmon Plus Association, said at least 36 young people in the city have already turned out reactive of HIV during community-based screening activities that they conducted since last week.
Verula said such figure is considered alarming as it shows that more young people, especially those within the 15 to 24 years old age range, could have been infected with the disease.
“The risk of infection among our youths is quite high due to the increasing number of those who are engaging in premarital and unprotected sex,” he said in a presentation before members of the city council on Tuesday.
He explained that those found reactive of HIV are not yet considered positive with the disease but indicates the probability of infection.
The group already referred the HIV-reactive individuals to under confirmatory tests, he said.
Verula said they are currently conducting community-based outreach activities in several barangays in the city to detect possible new cases of HIV.
He said the outreach, which focuses on HIV screening and education, is focused on some coastal barangays of the city.
The concerned barangays, which he did not specify to avoid stigma among residents, have noted cases of premarital sex and risky sexual behavior among youths, he said.
Citing their studies, he said these include same-gender sexual activities, as well as unprotected sex with multiple partners.
Verula said they found out that some youths were offering casual sex in exchange for money, with the reported figure going as low as PHP20.
To address the problem, he said the group has partnered with the city government, through the City Social Welfare and Development Office and the Sangguniang Kabataan federation for the strengthening of advocacy activities in the community level.
“Our goal is to make more young people aware of these risks and at the same time detect HIV cases early so we can refer the patients to free treatment and other interventions provided by the government,” he said.
In 2018, the City Health Office’s epidemiology and surveillance unit reported a total of 157 new cases of HIV/AIDS in the city.
At least 19 cases were detected in December, mostly involving students and young professionals, with the youngest at 16 years old.
Last month, the local government opened an HIV/AIDS treatment facility at the city hospital here to facilitate the provision of proper interventions to patients in the area.
