From the News! – Your Daily News

Sheila Crisostomo
Philippine Star

“Significant progress” on the universal access target for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has been noted since the end of 2007.

The International AIDS Society (IAS) reported that by the end of last year, more than 30 percent or some three million people with the AIDS virus were on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low and middle-income countries, representing 42 percent increase than that in 2006.

“Encouraging progress was also reported in preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, with 34 percent of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving ART for PMTCT at the end of 2007, compared to 14 percent only two years before,” the IAS said.

The IAS, a non-profit organization established in 1998, is the world’s leading independent association of over10,000 members from 172 countries.

It serves at the custodian of International AIDS Conferences, the biggest gathering for HIV/AIDS held every two years. The 17th conference will be held this year in Mexico City, Mexico.

IAS commended civil society, government and United Nation agencies for the significant developments in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

But the group said that although the trend is encouraging, “they (agencies) must be balanced against the reality that more than two-thirds of people in need of ART are not yet on treatment.”

Last year, the number of new HIV cases was two-and-a-half times higher than the number of people getting ART.

ART provides drugs that slow down the replication of HIV in the body, halting or delaying virus’ progression to AIDS.

IAS president Dr. Pedro Cahn warned that while progress has been substantial over the last few years, the international community must work harder to achieve the universal targets in treatment access against HIV/AIDS.

“While we are encouraged by the high level of government representation at the recent UN meeting on AIDS – and the fact that 147 member states submitted progress reports on their 2001 and 2006 commitments – most countries are far off target to meet universal access goals by 2010 or Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 6 by 2015.  Their commitment has yet to fully translate into action on the frontlines of this epidemic,” Cahn said.

In 2005, leaders of the G8 countries agreed to work with international bodies to develop and implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the goal of providing universal access to treatment to all those who need it by 2010.

The MDG-6 aims to halt and check AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis epidemics by 2015.

The IAS has also underscored the need to address gender issues that make women vulnerable to HIV in heterosexual transmission.

“We must intensify our efforts to deliver evidence-based interventions to injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and sex workers, if we hope to achieve universal access,” Cahn said.

He claimed that 63 percent of countries involved in AIDS treatment have policies that “impede access to HIV services for their population, despite their commitment to removing such barriers.”

“This situation is unconscionable given our knowledge base after more than 25 years of experience with this epidemic,” he said.

Cahn explained that the HIV-related travel restriction being imposed in over 70 countries must be lifted.

Jeffrey M. Tupas
Inquirer

AT one moment, the audience froze with undivided attention as she talked. In the next, they broke into hearty laughter with her. Then, she again mellowed as she narrated how she nurtured her relationship with her two young children.

Sheila Magpaye (as she is named by media people), 31, is an image of an accomplished and proud mother, telling everyone in the room how she was preparing for the education and future of her children, aged 9 and 11. Beyond the beautiful face and streaked hair is a woman engaged in battle, not only for her and her family but also for many other people.

Magpaye has been living with HIV-AIDS for nine years.

Clad in a brown, sleeveless blouse hidden by a gray cotton blazer, she faced the media to tell her story all over again—her fears and feelings of devastation, survival, advocacy, love affair and marriage to another person with HIV-AIDS (who died eight days after their wedding) and her children.

“As a mother, I often kiss my children. The relationship is still there,” she said as she quickly looked at everyone in the eyes, as if to dispel the common fear and misconception that children might contract the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through her saliva.

Magpaye was diagnosed with HIV in 1998, shortly after her youngest child was born. Since then, she said, she had not expected to reach this far and vowed that she would throw a lavish party should she survive this year.

Family breadwinner

When she was 16 years old, Magpaye was already the family breadwinner. She was forced into prostitution to feed her family and send her eight siblings to school.

“My family was always the reason I was in the ‘industry.’ We needed to eat and my brothers and sister had to go to school. As the eldest member of the family, I had to face any kind of battle,” she said.

“I was disillusioned by the situation and thought that I can escape from the situation by getting pregnant but it only worsened,” she said, referring to her live-in partner for many years.

Magpaye was even forced to work days after her youngest child was born. She was still bleeding and her genital wounds were still fresh.

“I had to go back to work or my baby will die because my breasts were not producing milk. All I was thinking was to have money and buy milk for my child,” she said.

Magpaye decided to be an akyat-barko and offer sex to the crew of foreign-registered boats in one port city in Mindanao in exchange for a large sum of money. While having sex with a Thai, the condom broke.

A year later, she was diagnosed as having the HIV. She found herself embattled by denial, fear, isolation, societal stigma and extreme depression that almost drove her to attempt suicide. Her partner also abandoned her.

Still beautiful

Although her family and several close friends were supportive, Magpaye took three painful years to accept her condition. “Nine years na akong HIV positive … Gwapa lang gihapon (I have been HIV positive for nine years … but still beautiful),” she said.

In Davao City, Magpaye is one of 18 cases of people living with HIV-AIDS that have been recorded since 1984, according to the Alliance Against AIDS (Alagad-Mindanao), which is composed of reproductive health advocates. Seven of the cases are females.

Mike Mahinay of the Alagad-Mindanao said that his group was able to document 44 HIV-AIDS cases all over Mindanao, 21 of whom had already died. General Santos City has nine documented cases, five of whom have died.

As of June, Mahinay said, 33 new cases—17 males and 16 females—had been reported.

As of August, at least 2,566 Filipinos have been recorded as having HIV-AIDS, 1,835 (72 percent) of which showed no signs and symptoms and 731 (28 percent) are AIDS cases. Mahinay said 287 or 39 percent had already died.

Seafarers, helpers

It was also found that 891 (35 percent) HIV cases were overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 303 (34 percent) of whom were seafarers and 156 (18 percent), domestic helpers. Mahinay said that in 93 percent of the cases, the virus was sexually transmitted.

Magpaye’s children are aware that she has HIV-AIDS, she said. But young as they are, they already grasp what she has been into—an awareness leading to understanding, which, in turn, led to reciprocated love and comforting.

In fact, the two are even aware of the precautionary measures they need to observe for them to avoid getting the virus, she said.

“If they have cuts, they immediately tell me and ask me if I also have open wounds. Then they ask me to clean their wounds and put plaster on it,” she said in a mix of the vernacular and English.

“My children loved to kiss me a lot which prompted me to have all my decaying teeth extracted for fear that I might get gingivitis and thus put them at risk. When I have cough, I see to it that we don’t kiss each other,” she said.

And the fear came when, years ago, one of her children was diagnosed as having a primary complex which prompted Magpaye’s infectious disease specialist to recommend an HIV testing.

“It was like I was floating on air while I was thinking about my child. I was being bombarded by many questions and found myself praying to practically all saints to spare my child… name a saint, I have called them all,” she said.

She explained that she should always keep a happy temperament or else her immune system would again swing low.

“After nine years, I have already accepted it. Perhaps, this is really my life. Still, I am afraid to die and leave my children,” she said.