Time is gold for people who are busy as bees, but are they aware of the increasing number of people who are infected of HIV? As of October 2013, the Department of Health HIV and AIDS Registry recorded a number of 491 new HIV cases. Yes, it was the highest recorded new HIV incidence since 2011.
The figure surpassed the high record last July with 449 new incidence. And yes, it the high record last July shocked the organizations and people working in the HIV and AIDS advocacy, the recorded incidence this October could very well strike the alarm button. But why? Well, if you will divide the 491 new incidence to the number of days in a month, say 30 days, then you’ll have 16 new HIV incidence every day. With the current increase rate, the number of new HIV infections could increase by 50% or more the following year.
So, are you alarmed? It is for this reason why the team of volunteers and educators from the Positive Action Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PAFPI) organized a team to distribute HIV and AIDS flyers in T.M. Kalaw. But you may ask why the busy street Kalaw? The answer to this is simple, it is a busy street where you’ll find a string of overseas employment agencies. And yes, Filipinos who are seeking greener pasture overseas are part of the most-at-risk especially that as of October 2013, 11% of the total number of new HIV infections was comprised of the overseas Filipino workers.
To also ensure that the information on HIV and AIDS were easy to understand, PAFPI produced an education materials that incorporated some vernacular like the Tagalog.