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Friday, March 29, 2024

QC sets 5-year plan to stop HIV infection

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THE Quezon City government has set a target of a zero-infection on human immunodeficiency virus in the next five years.

Mayor Herbert Bautista is now in New York, the United States of America to  take part  in the United Nations’ High-level Meeting on Ending AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), along with other 30 city leaders worldwide.   

“The program is part of a global movement to  hasten  the response to HIV by front-loading investments over the next five years to reach critical prevention and treatment targets,” he said.

From a meager budget of less than P5 million since 2012, the city government has increased local investments in anti-HIV programs to P24 million in 2015.

According to Bautista, the city is now a model for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ getting-to-zero cities initiative.   

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He said the city initiated the Metro Manila Mayors Compact to encourage the other mayors in the metro to adopt a fast-track approach.   

In February, the League of Cities of the Philippines, chaired by Bautista, adopted a resolution supporting the strategies to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 in all its member cities nationwide.

“We know political engagement, science, community involvement and wise investments can change the course of the disease. We ask other city leaders to seize the small window of opportunity and implement program which will end the AIDS epidemic. By investing wisely now, we will save lives and create healthier cities. We cannot wait and let the epidemic spiral out of control. We have a moral obligation to stop history from repeating itself,” the Quezon City mayor said.

Showing that they can walk the talk, both Bautista and UNAIDS regional support team for Asia and the Pacific director Steve Kraus have not only advocated for everyone to get tested, but have had HIV tests themselves.

Quezon City’s HIV program is shaped by the latest epidemiological mapping identifying the communities most affected by the HIV-AIDS epidemic.   

Majority of the new infections are among key populations, such as men who have sex with men, transgender women, people who inject themselves with drugs and sex workers.   

HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men increased from under 1 percent in 2007 annually to nearly 7 percent in 2013.

“The first step to stopping HIV  is making sure people know their status,” Bautista said. 

The city’s studies revealed two-thirds of MSM in Quezon City have never had an HIV test.   

The city has partnered with community organizations and peer educators to promote its Sundown Clinic services and educate the gay and transgender community about HIV prevention.   

Quezon City has also taken steps in recent years to address broader social barriers to effective HIV responses, including through passing local laws which protest against discrimination on the grounds of HIV status, sexual orientation and gender identity. 

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