STATUS -- Women and HIV: 4 Reasons We Should Pay Attention to the Numbers
By Reiner “Meow” Grospe Photo taken at Bale Angeleño, Balibago, Angeles City, a government center that offers reproductive health care, STI screening, and treatment, run by the local government of Angeles City In December 2016, the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) reported there was an average of 26 new cases each day in the same year. But out of this number, how many represent the occurrence of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection among females? Out of the 750 newly reported cases in December 2016, 29 (3.87%) were female, while the cumulative cases from 1984 to December 2016 had a total of 39,622 reported cases where 2,810 (7.09%) were female. Compared to the number of men diagnosed with HIV, the report shows a small number. Does this permit us to pay lesser attention to women affected by this particular health and social issue? “The fact that there are women being infected with the virus, no matter what the number is, they should not be taken for g...