Many people want to know their HIV status – CHSO

The City Health Services Office (CHSO) confirmed that many individuals are now availing of the human immune virus (HIV) tests from the health facilities to be aware of their HIV Status and avail of the free medicines being provided by the health treatment for the reduction of their respective viral load.

City health officer Dra. Celiaflor Brillantes said during the World AIDS Day commemoration last Monday at the Baguio Convention Center that around 70 percent of those who availed of the existing HIV tests are now aware of their HIV status and are now taking their medicines provided by the health department for free to help in the local government’s HIV treatment.

Further, she noted that one third of the 70 percent who are considered HIV reactive or positive and had been taking in their medicines have already recorded low viral loads through the years.

The city health officer claimed that once individuals with HIV have low viral loads, it means that they can no longer transmit the said dreaded illness provided that they regularly take in their prescribed medicines for them to maintain the HIV being non-transmittable.

However, she still advised those with HIV, even those with low viral load, to still practice safe sex through abstinence, being faithful to their partners, use of condoms, among others, to minimize the opportunity to spread the virus.

The medical officer that the city government, through the CHSO, remains aggressive in the implementation of various programs, projects and activities that will contribute in reducing the number of individuals turning out to be HIV positive in the conduct of available tests.

She rallied individuals to know their HIV status by availing of the existing tests in the different health facilities and for them to be prescribed with the appropriate medicines that will lower their viral load and will make the virus untransmutable to prevent them from contaminating other people. – Dexter A. See