MANILA, Philippines — The increasing cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) took center stage in the annual Oblation Run held at the University of the Philippines in Manila yesterday.
Members of the UP Manila chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity ran naked around the campus calling for collective effort to address the problem.
“We all have a role to play in properly educating the public about HIV/AIDS. First and foremost, we must break the stigma surrounding sex and reproductive health and the stigma on people living with HIV/AIDS,” the group said.
“HIV/AIDS is a persistent threat to our communities, especially to the youth who make up majority of newly diagnosed cases,” it added.
The group noted that 35 Filipinos test positive for HIV every day, a dramatic increase compared to just one per day in the previous year.
“In July 2019 alone, 1,100 new cases were recorded by the Department of Health. Almost 20 percent of the new cases have advanced stage of HIV infection or AIDS,” it added.
The United Nations Program on HIV-AIDS (UNAIDS) earlier projected that there there will be 201,000 HIV cases in the Philippines by 2025 if the current rate is not abated.
“UNAIDS considers the HIV/AIDS situation in the country as the fastest-growing epidemic in the world,” noted the fraternity.
HIV screening booths were set up at the UP Manila campus in time with the Oblation run.
The annual Oblation Run, officially called the Ritual Dance of the Brave, is a tradition started by APO in UP Diliman in 1977 as a form of dissent against martial law.
source: philstar.com
