What OFWs need to know about AIDS
MANILA, Philippines - If you finish reading this, you have reduced your chance of acquiring AIDS or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome by at least 50 percent.
Health experts say that proper information could reduce by half the likelihood of an individual getting infected with AIDS, which has claimed millions of lives in all continents of the world.
Although the Philippines has one of the lowest incidence of AIDS or HIV in Southeast Asia, fears arise that the continued deployment of millions of Filipinos in other parts of the world puts them at risk to the disease.
While outbound overseas Filipino workers are required to have their blood screened for HIV or AIDS, returning migrants, some of whom have stayed in areas with high instances of the dreaded virus, are not subjected to the same medical screening.
As the world commemorates World AIDS day, it is important to arm oneself of information against this global killer.
AIDS vs HIV: What’s the difference?
AIDS describes the collection of symptoms and infections associated with the acquired deficiency of the immune system while HIV or Human Immunodeficiency virus is the one that infects the human immune system, destroying and impairing their functions.
Simply, AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection.
Advanced HIV infection weakens the immune system and makes the individual more prone to a variety of infections including severe diarrhea, tuberculosis, pneumonia, cervical cancer, skin cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and lymphoma.
How long does it take before people with HIV develop AIDS?
It varies among individuals but it could take between 10 and 15 years or longer for people with a healthy lifestyle.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV thrives in blood and blood products, semen, cervical and vaginal secretions, and breast milk. Since the virus is found in these body fluids, HIV is more likely to be transmitted through sexual intercourse (oral, vaginal or anal); blood transfusions (sharing of syringes); and mother-to-child transmission.
For an infection to occur however there must be: 1) sufficient amounts of the virus transmitted and 2) a way for the virus to enter the bloodstream.
Unprotected heterosexual vaginal intercourse is the predominant mode of transmission although anal sex has been reported to be ten times higher than that of vaginal sex.
Oral sex is considered low-risk in terms of transmission unless ejaculation occurs in the mouth or if there are sores or cuts around the mouth.
Most infants who acquire HIV during delivery have been exposed to maternal blood or cervical secretions that contain the virus. Breastfeeding is the most important risk factor.
OFW destination countries with high HIV, AIDS risk
Based on the 2007 data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), the Middle East, Asia and Americas are the top three destination world groups of OFWs.
Meanwhile, the top 10 destination countries of newly hired Filipino workers are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Canada, Korea, United States of America, and Italy.
Of these countries, the UNAIDS identified Italy, Canada, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong as having between 0.1 percent and less than 0.5 percent adult prevalence of HIV.
The US has between 0.5 percent and less than 1.0 percent HIV adult prevalence.
Unfortunately, no data was available for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
Are OFWs at risk?
Last May, the Philippine Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center reported 35 HIV cases. Twenty percent of the cases were OFWs, mostly males. All OFWs who had AIDS acquired the disease through sexual intercourse.
Since 1984 a total of 259 AIDS cases had been recorded among OFWs, 81 percent were males aged between 20 and 69; of this number, 91 had already died.
According to a 2006 data gathered by the Action for Health Initiatives Inc., about 2,566 Filipinos are living with HIV and AIDS in the Philippines. OFWs make up 35 percent of this number.
Based on the statistics, 34 percent of those affected with the disease were seafarers; 18 percent were domestic helpers; nine percent were employees; seven percent were entertainers; and six percent were health workers.
While AIDS and HIV prevalence is low among migrants, it is worth noting that not all returning working is screened for the deadly virus.
“Maybe we only know a tip of the iceberg," Father Savino Bernardi, Manila director of the CBCP’s Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) told GMANews.TV in an earlier interview.
Savino also said that the conservative culture and reluctance to disclose their sexuality and sexual behavior could create problems in the future as carriers of the deadly disease remain undetected
How is HIV transmission prevented?
Using condoms during sexual intercourse effectively reduces one’s risk of getting HIV. Unprotected sex with a person or with multiple persons is considered as one of the riskiest ways of getting the infection.
Checking whether the blood one is receiving through transfusion has been tested for HIV also prevents the transfer of the virus. People can also avoid sharing needles, razor blades and other objects that have touched blood.
Children must be tested at 18 months to see if HIV antibodies are present.
Regular HIV testing for sexually persons are also highly encouraged. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV
* Except for the use of condoms, as well as the date on OFWs' HIV risk and destination countries, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are based on the training manual on HIV and AIDS for Catholic Church Pastoral Workers developed by UNAIDS and given to outbound OFWs by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Health experts say that proper information could reduce by half the likelihood of an individual getting infected with AIDS, which has claimed millions of lives in all continents of the world.
Although the Philippines has one of the lowest incidence of AIDS or HIV in Southeast Asia, fears arise that the continued deployment of millions of Filipinos in other parts of the world puts them at risk to the disease.
While outbound overseas Filipino workers are required to have their blood screened for HIV or AIDS, returning migrants, some of whom have stayed in areas with high instances of the dreaded virus, are not subjected to the same medical screening.
As the world commemorates World AIDS day, it is important to arm oneself of information against this global killer.
AIDS vs HIV: What’s the difference?
AIDS describes the collection of symptoms and infections associated with the acquired deficiency of the immune system while HIV or Human Immunodeficiency virus is the one that infects the human immune system, destroying and impairing their functions.
Simply, AIDS is the last stage of HIV infection.
Advanced HIV infection weakens the immune system and makes the individual more prone to a variety of infections including severe diarrhea, tuberculosis, pneumonia, cervical cancer, skin cancer, Kaposi’s sarcoma, and lymphoma.
How long does it take before people with HIV develop AIDS?
It varies among individuals but it could take between 10 and 15 years or longer for people with a healthy lifestyle.
How is HIV transmitted?
HIV thrives in blood and blood products, semen, cervical and vaginal secretions, and breast milk. Since the virus is found in these body fluids, HIV is more likely to be transmitted through sexual intercourse (oral, vaginal or anal); blood transfusions (sharing of syringes); and mother-to-child transmission.
For an infection to occur however there must be: 1) sufficient amounts of the virus transmitted and 2) a way for the virus to enter the bloodstream.
Unprotected heterosexual vaginal intercourse is the predominant mode of transmission although anal sex has been reported to be ten times higher than that of vaginal sex.
Oral sex is considered low-risk in terms of transmission unless ejaculation occurs in the mouth or if there are sores or cuts around the mouth.
Most infants who acquire HIV during delivery have been exposed to maternal blood or cervical secretions that contain the virus. Breastfeeding is the most important risk factor.
OFW destination countries with high HIV, AIDS risk
Based on the 2007 data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA), the Middle East, Asia and Americas are the top three destination world groups of OFWs.
Meanwhile, the top 10 destination countries of newly hired Filipino workers are Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Canada, Korea, United States of America, and Italy.
Of these countries, the UNAIDS identified Italy, Canada, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong as having between 0.1 percent and less than 0.5 percent adult prevalence of HIV.
The US has between 0.5 percent and less than 1.0 percent HIV adult prevalence.
Unfortunately, no data was available for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
Are OFWs at risk?
Last May, the Philippine Department of Health’s National Epidemiology Center reported 35 HIV cases. Twenty percent of the cases were OFWs, mostly males. All OFWs who had AIDS acquired the disease through sexual intercourse.
Since 1984 a total of 259 AIDS cases had been recorded among OFWs, 81 percent were males aged between 20 and 69; of this number, 91 had already died.
According to a 2006 data gathered by the Action for Health Initiatives Inc., about 2,566 Filipinos are living with HIV and AIDS in the Philippines. OFWs make up 35 percent of this number.
Based on the statistics, 34 percent of those affected with the disease were seafarers; 18 percent were domestic helpers; nine percent were employees; seven percent were entertainers; and six percent were health workers.
While AIDS and HIV prevalence is low among migrants, it is worth noting that not all returning working is screened for the deadly virus.
“Maybe we only know a tip of the iceberg," Father Savino Bernardi, Manila director of the CBCP’s Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) told GMANews.TV in an earlier interview.
Savino also said that the conservative culture and reluctance to disclose their sexuality and sexual behavior could create problems in the future as carriers of the deadly disease remain undetected
How is HIV transmission prevented?
Using condoms during sexual intercourse effectively reduces one’s risk of getting HIV. Unprotected sex with a person or with multiple persons is considered as one of the riskiest ways of getting the infection.
Checking whether the blood one is receiving through transfusion has been tested for HIV also prevents the transfer of the virus. People can also avoid sharing needles, razor blades and other objects that have touched blood.
Children must be tested at 18 months to see if HIV antibodies are present.
Regular HIV testing for sexually persons are also highly encouraged. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV
* Except for the use of condoms, as well as the date on OFWs' HIV risk and destination countries, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are based on the training manual on HIV and AIDS for Catholic Church Pastoral Workers developed by UNAIDS and given to outbound OFWs by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
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