by Kim Naparan
Hope for the HIV/AIDS positive patients is slowly coming to life as doctors have now discovered a weapon against the dreadful disease. For the first time in history, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug treatment which will prevent infection in healthy people. But the question is: Will this “wonder drug” make it to the Philippines?
The drug called Truvada, which is already approved for the treatment of HIV in infected patients, works by lowering the amount of virus circulating in people’s blood. But clinical trials show that it can also protect uninfected high-risk people from acquiring the virus if they take the drug daily before and after exposure.
However, the approval is controversial. Some public health experts argue that allowing the drug to be used for prevention will foster a false sense of security among users, leading people to mistakenly believe that they are immune to the virus and to reduce their use of condoms. However, the FDA determined that the benefits of expanding the pool of people who may use Truvada to be protected against HIV made it worth approving.
The drug called Truvada, which is already approved for the treatment of HIV in infected patients, works by lowering the amount of virus circulating in people’s blood. But clinical trials show that it can also protect uninfected high-risk people from acquiring the virus if they take the drug daily before and after exposure.
However, the approval is controversial. Some public health experts argue that allowing the drug to be used for prevention will foster a false sense of security among users, leading people to mistakenly believe that they are immune to the virus and to reduce their use of condoms. However, the FDA determined that the benefits of expanding the pool of people who may use Truvada to be protected against HIV made it worth approving.
HIV/AIDS in the Philippines
According to the Manila Times, the Philippines is one of the nine countries where the number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS) cases are growing. But what is more alarming is that many of the new victims are teenagers, with some as young as 15.
Based on a study conducted by the Department of Health (DOH), more young Filipinos have acquired HIV. Data from the Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry showed that in January this year alone, 118 of the new HIV patients belong to the 15 to 24 age bracket. They are among the 448 fresh HIV cases reported for the first month of the year.
Half of the 448 victims, or 224 patients, are from Metro Manila, while 16 percent come from the Calabarzon region, seven percent from Davao region, and four percent from Western Visayas. The rest of the regions recorded less than one to two percent of HIV cases this year.
From 1984 to January 2014, 36 people below 15 years old were infected with HIV. For the same period, 429 people aged 15 to 19 acquired the virus, as well as 3467 in the 20 to 24 age bracket.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the Philippines is still low. The country is one of only seven countries globally where the number of new HIV cases has increased by over 25 percent from 2001 to 2009. New infections are largely concentrated among key populations with specific risk behaviors, such as unprotected male-to-male sex, transactional sex, and intravenous drug use.
Primary prevention of HIV infection for key populations has to start in adolescence mainly because infections now occur at a younger age. On average, the initiation to sex and drug use is between 14 and 19 years old.
Further, only five percent of HIV-positive pregnant women have received antiretroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Very few of those at-risk have taken an HIV test, with the number at zero for those under 18 years.
Based on a study conducted by the Department of Health (DOH), more young Filipinos have acquired HIV. Data from the Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry showed that in January this year alone, 118 of the new HIV patients belong to the 15 to 24 age bracket. They are among the 448 fresh HIV cases reported for the first month of the year.
Half of the 448 victims, or 224 patients, are from Metro Manila, while 16 percent come from the Calabarzon region, seven percent from Davao region, and four percent from Western Visayas. The rest of the regions recorded less than one to two percent of HIV cases this year.
From 1984 to January 2014, 36 people below 15 years old were infected with HIV. For the same period, 429 people aged 15 to 19 acquired the virus, as well as 3467 in the 20 to 24 age bracket.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the Philippines is still low. The country is one of only seven countries globally where the number of new HIV cases has increased by over 25 percent from 2001 to 2009. New infections are largely concentrated among key populations with specific risk behaviors, such as unprotected male-to-male sex, transactional sex, and intravenous drug use.
Primary prevention of HIV infection for key populations has to start in adolescence mainly because infections now occur at a younger age. On average, the initiation to sex and drug use is between 14 and 19 years old.
Further, only five percent of HIV-positive pregnant women have received antiretroviral medicines to prevent mother-to-child transmission. Very few of those at-risk have taken an HIV test, with the number at zero for those under 18 years.
Truvada in the Philippines
Although Truvada is not yet widely accepted and available in the country, it is still debatable if the drug makes astonishing results for the improvement of the patient.
There is still no permanent cure for HIV/AIDS but modern treatment, called Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment (HAART), has been shown to restore life expectancy if the treatment is started early.
According to Doctor Edsel Maurica Salvana of the UP Manila National Institute of Health, early treatment using HAART decreases the patient’s ability to transmit the virus by 96 percent.
He said the government needs to strengthen its information drive on HIV/AIDS to encourage the public to stay away from activities that can expose them to the virus. People who live risky lifestyles are encouraged to voluntarily submit themselves to HIV tests so they can get medical attention if needed.
To learn more about Truvada, visit their website.
There is still no permanent cure for HIV/AIDS but modern treatment, called Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment (HAART), has been shown to restore life expectancy if the treatment is started early.
According to Doctor Edsel Maurica Salvana of the UP Manila National Institute of Health, early treatment using HAART decreases the patient’s ability to transmit the virus by 96 percent.
He said the government needs to strengthen its information drive on HIV/AIDS to encourage the public to stay away from activities that can expose them to the virus. People who live risky lifestyles are encouraged to voluntarily submit themselves to HIV tests so they can get medical attention if needed.
To learn more about Truvada, visit their website.