1/3/2019 DOH to start giving out condoms in schools next year | Inquirer News

DOH to start giving out condoms in schools next

year
By: Jhesset O. Enano, Julie M. Aurelio, Tina G. Santos - @inquirerdotnet
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 01:00 AM December 02, 2016

Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial encourages the use of condom to stop the
spread of HIV during press briefing in Paranaque City. PDI Photo /
Richard A. Reyes

Starting next year, the Department of Health (DOH) plans to distribute

condoms in schools as part of its “business unusual” strategy amid the
sharp rise in the number of HIV and AIDS among the youth in the
country.

The DOH also urges parents to teach safe sex at home as part of the
strategy.

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“As soon as we thresh out the strategy with the Department of Education
(DepEd), we can distribute (condoms) after providing them proper
counseling,” Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said in a press conference for
the World AIDS Day 2016 on Thursday.

“Of course, we also have to prepare the school authorities, teachers,

principals, healthcare providers,” Ubial said.

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Data show that from 1984 to October 2016, a total of 38,114 HIV cases
were recorded, with 32,099 tallied from 2011 to 2016. Among 15 to 24
years olds, there were 10,279 HIV cases during the period, of which
9,066 were tallied since 2011.

Alarmed by the rising HIV/AIDS cases, the head of the Episcopal

Commission on Health Care of the Catholic bishops conference urged the
youth to do their part in educating the public on the occasion of the
World AIDS Day.

“The cases rose, especially for those aged 15 to 24 years old. They are
[our] future, our high school and college students,” said Fr. Dan Cancino,
the commission’s executive secretary.

On Radio Veritas, he invited the youth to join on Dec. 4 the National

Catholic AIDS Sunday, which is celebrated every first Sunday of
December to raise public awareness on HIV/AIDS.

“This is a day for us to increase our knowledge and awareness, especially

the youth, on the global problem of HIV/AIDS,” Cancino said.

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An awareness conference will be held on Sunday at the Chapel of the

Eucharistic Lord on the fifth floor of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong
City.

Be honest, factual

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Ubial said the information campaign must go down to the household and
community level.

“As soon as the child asks you a question, be honest, say it outright.
(Don’t) talk about the bees and the birds,” she said.

“You talk to the child as if you’re discussing any topic under the sun. Be
factual. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t even use analogy. Just go
straight to the point. I think that has been proven in other many countries
that that’s the way to inform the youth,” she added.

World Health Organization (WHO) representative Gundo Weiler said

educating the youth would enable them to protect themselves better.

Right information

National Youth Commission Chair Aiza Seguerra said parents must not
avoid talking about sex to equip their children with the right information.

“Because of our culture, we get embarrassed by topics like sex (and)

HIV/AIDS … but I believe (correct information) starts at home. Please
make sure (your kids) are protected,” Seguerra said.

Ubial said the plan to distribute condoms was part of the business
unusual strategy that the DOH intends to develop in an effort to fight
HIV/AIDS.

“We’re offering distribution of condoms with our partners in the National

Youth Commission and DepEd. This is a nontraditional outlet for safe
sex interventions, but we have to do this,” she said.
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“[Our strategy] would no longer just focus on health centers and

hospitals. We’ll go down to the community, to the households, involving
the parents, the education sector, the teachers, the whole community,” she
said.

Antiretroviral treatments

Treatment options are available to those who test positive for HIV.

Antiretroviral treatments (ART) are applied to individuals who need to

lower the viral load of patients and to improve their immune response.

Next year’s budget for ART will leap from P900 million to P1 billion and
will allow the DOH to provide ART to over 39,000 individuals, Ubial
said.

Apart from distributing condoms in schools, the DOH said it was

considering heeding the call of the WHO to make HIV self-testing kits
available to the public.

Ubial said she planned to make HIV self-test kits available to individuals
in places where they could get adequate counseling and not in drug
stores.

Free and confidential HIV testing is available at traditional health

providers, local government units and partner NGOs.

On the sidelines of the World AIDS Awareness program in Quezon City,

Dr. Mario Baquilod, officer in charge of the DOH-Disease Prevention
and Control Bureau, said that while the central health office was focusing
mainly on policy formulation, the implementation of health programs lay
with the local governments.

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