LAGANGILANG, Abra (PIA) — More than a hundred students, faculty, and staff of the University of Abra (UA) Lagangilang Campus participated in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) lecture-forum and free voluntary testing.
The Department of Health (DOH)-led activity is part of the efforts to raise awareness of the youth and the academe towards controlling and managing HIV cases across the nation.
As of August 2024, DOH-Cordillera logged a total of 1,203 HIV cases in the Cordillera, of which, 160 are from the province of Abra.
During the forum, participants had a dialogue with Darwin Francisco Babon, DOH Regional Program Manager for AIDS and STI Prevention.
He explained the HIV situationer in the Cordillera, brief backgrounder about HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), some prevention practices and the government’s response. Babon also tackled Project NAMNAMA (Nurturing Awareness, Mobilizing Networks, and Advocating to Mitigate the Impacts of AIDS and STIs in the Cordillera) which manifests the commitment of DOH-CAR in addressing these health issues in the region.
“We are strengthening our response. We partner with LGUs, most especially we explore activities that will entice the young population. Dati kasi, we just invite them for lectures, ngayon we offer HIV awareness and screening through sports and pageants so we explore other means to catch the audience and align their perspective on our advocacy,” Babon explained.
He also stressed that making treatment available in the region is one of DOH’s way of bringing access to patients. Babon informed that La Paz RHU is already a DOH-accredited HIV treatment center.
“Since 2015, we only had three treatment hubs in the region, lahat po ay nasa Baguio. We realized that people from Abra have to travel six hours to get their treatment that is why we discussed with La Paz RHU on how they could become a treatment hub. They submitted the requirements, they passed kaya may treatment hub na tayo dito sa Abra,” Babon said.
The DOH also introduced the HIV self-test kits to determine a reactive or non-reactive test results.
In his message, UA President Dr. Gregorio T. Turqueza Jr. emphasized that self-awareness and discipline will keep the students safe from the said virus. He likewise encouraged them to submit to the free testing of DOH. (JDP/CAGT-PIA CAR, Abra)
