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Abduction by state agents: An isolated incident or a growing pattern
JEERS TO the media for reporting the abduction in Batangas of Jose Marie Estiller on February 20 as an isolated incident and for not providing the necessary background of past cases of abductions and enforced disappearances by state agents in the country. The lack of context ignores the continuing reality of human rights violations against activists and critics during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.Media.....»»
Lapu-Lapu City logs 69 HIV cases from Jan. to Aug. 2023
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — The Lapu-Lapu City Health Office (LLCHO) has recorded 69 cases of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) for the first eight months or from January to August this year. This was confirmed by Dr. Neil Victor Pajugot, medical officer III of LLCHO. However, Pajugot said they saw a drop in.....»»
Davao City logs 229 HIV-Aids cases from Jan-May ‘23
Davao City has seen a concerning rise in HIV-Aids cases, with 229 cases reported from January to May 2023. This is compared to 396 cases recorded from January to September 2022. The youngest patient is only 10 years old, highlighting the urgency of sex education in schools. The main modes of transmission remain unprotected sexual interaction and sharing needles. Despite having a low infection rate, the Philippines has experienced a rapid increase in HIV-Aids cases. Since the 1990s, Davao City has recorded 4,513 cases, mostly among individuals below 18 years old......»»
DNA Profiling: How it aids in solving crimes and catching criminals
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Over the decades, DNA profiling has contributed to the resolution of countless criminal cases and put criminals behind bars to give justice to their victims. Historical data shows that this process has become a significant part of the criminal justice system since it was first introduced to the world. DNA, or.....»»
Eastern Visayas alarmed over rising HIV cases
PALO, Leyte — At least two cases of human immunodeficiency virus or HIV infection were recorded in Eastern Visayas in June, the highest number in a single month since the first HIV case hit the country in 1984. However, local health officials said they anticipated the spike in confirmed HIV cases since the region acquired its own testing laboratory last May 2023. Medical technologist Antonietta Diloy, manager of National AIDS and STI Prevention and Control Program at the Department of Health in Region 8 said that 76 cases of new HIV infection were recorded in June, surpassing the previous high of 60 cases recorded in April this year. “We have strengthened our advocacy campaign resulting in more people being tested,” Diloy said, adding that rural health units in different municipalities are now equipped with enough allocation of testing kits which are readily accessible and available for those who want to be tested. Among the provinces and independent cities in Eastern Visayas, Leyte recorded the highest number with 39 new cases spread in 18 municipalities; Ormoc City with 12 cases; Tacloban City with nine; Samar and Southern Leyte with eight new cases each; seven in Eastern Samar with seven and two in Biliran. Diloy disclosed that the 76 new cases in June were 230 percent higher than the cases of the previous month of May that recorded 23 cases. She said reporting of HIV cases normally gets late due to the rigorous validation of data. Data from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of DoH-8 shows that 68 of the 76 new cases were male and eight were female. It also revealed that the majority of the cases were transmitted mainly through sexual contact with 59 percent between males, 23 percent by males having sex with both males and females, and 16 percent through heterosexual contact. Two infants contracted HIV through mother-to-child transmission. DoH-8 regional information officer Jelyn Malibago, meantime, said that with the new equipment to conduct confirmatory testing for HIV, the agency is conducting trainings to expand the pool of individuals who can do pre and post counselling for those who undergo testing. She added that the agency targets to test one percent of the population for HIV as the new testing equipment shortened the turnaround time from two to three weeks when specimens were still sent to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila to only one to three days with the test being conducted at Eastern Visayas Medical Center. The post Eastern Visayas alarmed over rising HIV cases appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Intensified info drive on HIV/AIDS sought
Health experts of Baguio are seeking an intensified education and information dissemination on human immunodeficiency virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) as cases are increasing......»»
Suppress TB, AIDS cases — BBM
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said a holistic approach is needed to halt the rising cases of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus or HIV in the country. In his annual State of the Nation Address, Marcos put forward his concern about the alarming cases of TB and HIV/AIDS in the country. “The whole of society must exert effort to suppress the alarming rise of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,” he said in his 2nd SoNA. “To stem the tide, the strategic plan is to ensure early diagnosis and treatment and ample testing sites and medications.” Based on the 2022 Global TB Report, the Philippines is one of the eight countries that account for two-thirds of the estimated global TB cases. The Philippines is also one of the countries that contribute to most of the estimated increase in tuberculosis deaths, next to India, Indonesia and Myanmar. Meanwhile, more Filipinos are getting infected with HIV, which could turn into AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome if it remains untreated. In May alone, the Department of Health breached the country’s 2,000 mark on HIV cases. Food stamp program Marcos also mentioned the newly launched Food Stamp Program, which aims to address hunger and nutrition-related issues like stunting and wasting. “The FSP shall complement our nutrition continuity programs, such as the First 1,000 Days program which ensures nourishment for the first three years of a child’s life,” he said. “The Supplemental Feeding Program is for our children attending daycare centers. The K-to-6 Program will feed Kindergarten to Grade 6 public school students, who are suffering from wasting and severe malnutrition,” he added. The President also mentioned the government’s efforts to catch up with the routine vaccinations of Filipino children who missed their immunization vaccines due to Covid-19 restrictions. “As of this year, more than 80 percent of our eligible children have been vaccinated against measles, rubella and polio,” he said. Structural changes Marcos said the country’s healthcare system is “undergoing structural changes.” He noted that public health facilities are being increased, both in number and capability. “Last year, more than 3,400 projects were completed. To improve capacity for specialized medical treatment, specialty centers in various fields are being established and integrated into our government hospitals,” he said. “Last year, an additional 60 specialty centers were opened to the public,” he added. The President also boasted of the government’s success in its effort to lower the cost of basic medicines. “The prices of most important and basic medicines dropped by almost 90 percent,” he said. Meanwhile, he vowed the long-overdue Covid-19 benefits of healthcare workers would be released. “To reward the sacrifices of our health workers from private and public hospitals last pandemic, we are distributing their Covid Health Emergency Allowance and other pending benefits,” he said. Last week, he lifted the Covid-19 emergency in the country through Proclamation No. 297. Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said the emergency allowance intended for medical frontliners and the emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccines will be extended an additional year. According to a United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines report, the still-unpaid benefits of 20,304 healthcare workers stood at P1.84 billion, which is comprised of the One Covid Allowance amounting to P985.6 million, P737.5 million in health emergency allowance, special risk allowance amounting to 16.8 million, and meals, accommodation and transportation benefits totaling P6.7 million. Last October, then Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DoH would need a total of P103 billion to pay for the combined benefits of more than 800,000 healthcare workers involved in the Covid-19 healthcare response. Vergeire said the agency still needs to pay at least P64 billion worth of health emergency allowances intended for health workers under Republic Act 11494, also known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act. The post Suppress TB, AIDS cases — BBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Marcos wants all-out efforts vs TB, HIV/AIDS
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said a holistic approach is needed to halt the rising cases of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus or HIV in the country. In his annual State of the Nation Address, Marcos put forward his concern about the alarming cases of TB and HIV/AIDS in the country. “The whole of society must exert effort to suppress the alarming rise of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,” Marcos said. “To stem the tide, the strategic plan is to ensure early diagnosis and treatment and ample testing sites and medications.” Based on the 2022 Global TB Report, the Philippines is one of the eight countries that account for two-thirds of the estimated global TB cases. The Philippines is also one of the countries that contribute to most of the estimated increase in tuberculosis deaths, next to India, Indonesia and Myanmar. Meanwhile, more Filipinos are getting infected with HIV, which could turn into AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome if untreated. In May alone, the Department of Health breached the country’s 2,000 mark on HIV cases. Food Stamp Program Marcos also mentioned the newly launched Food Stamp Program, which aims to address hunger and nutrition-related issues like stunting and wasting. “The FSP shall complement our nutrition continuity programs, such as the First 1,000 Days program which ensures nourishment for the first three years of a child’s life,” he said. “The Supplemental Feeding Program is for our children attending daycare centers. The K-to-6 Program will feed Kindergarten to Grade 6 public school students, who are suffering from wasting and severe malnutrition,” he added. The President also mentioned the government’s efforts to catch up with the routine vaccinations of Filipino children, who missed their immunization vaccines due to Covid-19 restrictions. “As of this year, more than 80 percent of our eligible children have been vaccinated against measles, rubella and polio,” he said. Structural changes Marcos said the country’s healthcare system is “undergoing structural changes.” He noted that public health facilities are being increased, both in number and capability. “Last year, more than 3,400 projects were completed. To improve capacity for specialized medical treatment, specialty centers in various fields are being established and integrated into our government hospitals,” he said. “In the last year, additional 60 specialty centers have been opened to the public,” he added. The President also noted the government's success in efforts to lower the costs of basic medicines in the country. “The prices of most important and basic medicines dropped from almost 90 percent,” he said. ‘Health Emergency Allowance’ Meanwhile, Marcos also vowed the release of long-overdue Covid-19 benefits for healthcare workers “To reward the sacrifices of our health workers from private and public hospitals last pandemic, we are distributing their Covid Health Emergency Allowance and other pending benefits,” he said. Last week, he lifted the Covid-19 emergency in the Philippines through Proclamation No. 297. Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said emergency allowance intended for medical frontliners, as well as emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccines, will be extended for an additional year. According to a United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines report, the still-unpaid benefits of 20,304 healthcare workers stood at P1.84 billion, comprising the One COVID Allowance amounting to P985.6 million, P737.5 million in health emergency allowance, special risk allowance amounting to 16.8 million, and meals, accommodation and transportation benefits totaling P6.7 million. Last October, then Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the DoH would need a total of P103 billion to pay for the combined benefits of more than 800,000 healthcare workers involved in the Covid-19 healthcare response. Vergeire said the agency still needs to pay at least P64 billion worth of health emergency allowance intended for health workers under the Republic Act No. 11494, also known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act. The post Marcos wants all-out efforts vs TB, HIV/AIDS appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sydney’s former HIV epicenter close to ending transmission: research
The Inner Sydney district, once the epicenter of Australia's HIV epidemic, is very close to becoming the first place in the world to reach the UN's target for ending transmission of the virus, researchers said on Monday. UNAIDS has set a goal of ending AIDS as a global health threat by 2030, which includes reducing the number of new HIV cases by 90 percent compared to 2010. In inner Sydney, new infections among gay men dropped by 88 percent from 2010 to 2022, researchers announced at the International AIDS Society's HIV science conference being held in the Australian city of Brisbane. Andrew Grulich, an epidemiologist at the University of New South Wales who presented the research, told AFP that "we're very nearly there" some eight years ahead of the 2030 target. Just 11 new HIV cases were recorded in inner Sydney last year, "an extraordinarily small number of infections for what was the heart of the Australian HIV epidemic," Grulich said. Gay men make up an estimated 20 percent of the male population in inner Sydney, and they represent the large majority of the city's HIV cases. Grulich said that several areas in the UK and Western Europe have also seen rapid drops in new HIV cases. But "I don't think anywhere has gotten close to 90 percent," he added. Since Sydney has "virtually" already reached the target, that shows that it is a feasible goal, he said. - Community was 'completely devastated' - However, Grulich emphasized that this does not mean that HIV is close to being eliminated in the city of more than 5.2 million people. "HIV can only be eliminated if we have a vaccine and a cure," he said. And the drop in new HIV cases was far less precipitous in other parts of Sydney. In the city's outer suburbs, new cases have only fallen by 31 percent since 2010, the researchers found. This disparity was due to a much rate higher of HIV testing and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) -- which reduces the risk of transmitting HIV during sex -- in the inner city, Grulich said. He said another cause for progress was that around 95 percent of HIV-positive people in Australia are now on antiretroviral treatment, which suppresses the level of the virus in the blood. Another study announced at the AIDS conference, which was published in The Lancet journal, said that people on antiretrovirals who have low but detectible levels of HIV have almost zero risk of sexually transmitting the virus to others. The Sydney research, which has not been peer-reviewed, was based on data from the New South Wales health department as well as annual surveys taken by gay men about their use of antiretrovirals, PrEP and testing. Grulich said the progress in inner Sydney was particularly significant because "this was a community that was completely devastated in the 80s and 90s -- a few thousand men died in these areas". dl/pvh The post Sydney’s former HIV epicenter close to ending transmission: research appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Geneva patient’ the latest in long-term remission from HIV
A man dubbed the "Geneva patient" is the latest person with HIV to be declared in long-term remission -- however he did not receive a transplant with a virus-blocking gene mutation like previous cases, researchers said on Thursday. But they stopped short of saying the man was "cured" of HIV, warning there was still a chance the virus could still return. Five people have previously been declared cured of HIV: the Berlin, London, Duesseldorf, New York and City of Hope, California patients. All had bone marrow transplants to treat serious cases of cancer, receiving stem cells from a donor with a mutation of the CCR5 gene. This mutation is known to block HIV from entering the body's cells. In 2018, the Geneva patient similarly received a stem cell transplant to treat a particularly aggressive form of leukaemia. But this time the transplant came from a donor who did not carry the CCR5 mutation, French and Swiss researchers told a press conference in the Australian city of Brisbane as part of an AIDS conference that begins at the weekend. This means that the virus is still able to enter the patient's cells. However, 20 months after the man stopped taking antiretroviral treatment -- which reduces the amount of HIV in the blood -- doctors at Geneva University Hospitals have not found a trace of the virus in his system, the researchers said. While they cannot rule out that the man's HIV will return, the researchers said they consider him to be in long-term remission. 'Magical' "What is happening to me is magnificent, magical," the Geneva patient said in a statement. The patient, a white man who chose not to be named, was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. He had been on antiretrovirals until November 2021, when his doctors advised him to stop taking the treatment after the bone marrow transplant. Two previous cases, known as the Boston patients, had also received normal or "wild type" stem cells during their transplants. But in both cases, HIV returned a few months after they stopped taking antiretrovirals. Asier Saez-Cirion, a scientist at France's Pasteur Institute who presented the Geneva patient case in Brisbane, told AFP that if there was still no sign of the virus after 12 months "the probability that it will be undetectable in the future increases significantly". There were a couple of possible explanations for why the Geneva patient remains HIV free, Saez-Cirion said. "In this specific case, perhaps the transplant eliminated all the infected cells without the need for the famous mutation," he said. "Or maybe his immunosuppressive treatment, which was required after the transplant, played a role." 'Promising' Sharon Lewin, the president of the International AIDS Society holding the HIV science conference in Brisbane, said the case was "promising". "But we learned from the Boston patients that even a single" particle of the virus can lead to HIV rebounding, she cautioned. "This particular individual will need to be watched closely over the next months and years." While these cases of long-term remission raise hopes that one day HIV can truly be cured, the brutal and risky bone marrow transplant procedure is not an option for the millions of people living with the virus around the world. It is instead a last-ditch attempt to treat life-threatening cancer in people who also have HIV. Alexandra Calmy, head of the HIV unit at Geneva University Hospitals, acknowledged that the procedure is not an option for most HIV patients. But the exceptional case of the Geneva patient "opens the door to ways to reach lasting remission in the absence of a transplant carrying a mutation," she told an online press conference on Thursday. Saez-Cirion said the case had also encouraged the researchers to continue studying innate immune cells, which act as the first line of defence against various pathogens, and could help control the virus. For his part, the Geneva patient said he was now "looking to the future". The post ‘Geneva patient’ the latest in long-term remission from HIV appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
IPOPHL: Rising, Shining, Beckoning
At the onset of the pandemic when businesses and offices were forced to close down, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines or IPOPHL, was one of the few government offices to resume its service with little disruption and almost in a heartbeat. We swiftly adopted technologies that streamlined end-to-end client transactions in the new normal. Many partners in government and even our clients lauded our resilience, asking how we were able to do what we did. I’d say this is mostly thanks to the digitalization initiatives which previous IPOPHL leaders laid out as early as a decade ago but which we accelerated during the crisis. And it’s also because the entire agency was involved in the success of our business continuity. For one, the entire 17-member Executive Committee consisting of deputy directors general, directors, assistant directors, and yours truly, quickly regrouped, held weekly virtual meetings, reviewed the policies and budget, and issued appropriate guidelines to ensure clients can comply with due dates and other rules and regulations with utmost consideration of the hard times. More importantly, we responded to client queries with urgency, forming an online services team to complement our contact center agents. Together, they ensured clients were given the right responses at the soonest possible time. We were able to pivot our seminars and trainings to webinars increasing the reach to those in the provinces. We immediately adopted online hearings for the adjudication of pending cases and launched our mobile app IPOPHL Mobiliz. But beyond our thrust towards digitalization, we carried out activities that centered on the recovery of MSMEs, independent artists, startups, and everyone who needed IP the most. We immediately launched the “Survive and Rebuild as One Project” for the creative sector or those in the gig economy affected by Covid-19. We extended our Juana Make a Mark which aids women and women-led MSMEs in their trademark applications, as well as our “Patent Cooperation Treaty Filing Assistance Program,” to continue giving inventors a silver lining in safeguarding their technologies in foreign markets. We also proudly launched our Juan for the World trademark incentive package which sought to bring Philippine brands to global markets. We excitedly introduced the Youth Intellectual Property Incentive or YIPI Program, through which we recognize the energy and ingenuity of the youth as a fundamental foundation for our way forward as a nation. With our improved e-services and intensive efforts to bridge more people to IP, IPOPHL ranked 9th out of 60 countries surveyed in the 2021 IP Office Innovation Ranking of the World Trademark Review, jumping from 24th in 2020. This leap made the Philippines the only developing country to be part of its top 10 IP offices that have good standing in online capabilities, value-added propositions, and public outreach efforts. During these tough times for IPOPHL — and surely for the entire world — we launched our tagline, “Rising, Shining, Beckoning.” We find these three words as the most fitting to capture our experience in the crisis and describe how IPOPHL stood tall amidst it all. We rose to the circumstances. We shined brighter than ever as shown through our breakthrough achievements. And we beckoned others to be inspired by IPOPHL’s steadfast determination to deliver quality public service even when the going gets tough. The post IPOPHL: Rising, Shining, Beckoning appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Severe form of mpox identified in advanced HIV cases: study
PARIS, France - Researchers said Tuesday they have identified a particularly severe form of mpox in people with advanced HIV which had a death rate of 15 percent among patients with AIDS......»»
Health official: ‘Love responsibly,’ as number of HIV cases rises
CEBU CITY, Philippines — As Valentine’s day draws near, a local health official is reminding the public to “love responsibly” and use protection to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Dr. Maria Chona Medina-Loma, the STD/HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator of the Cebu City Health Department, gave this reminder as she noted that Cebu City currently has a total […] The post Health official: ‘Love responsibly,’ as number of HIV cases rises appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Central Visayas records over 700 HIV/AIDS cases as of Sept.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — During the first nine months of this year, health officials in Central Visayas recorded over 700 cases of the human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Based on the latest data from the Department of Health here (DOH-7), released on Dec. 1, they registered 745 cases of HIV/AIDS in the region. Most […] The post Central Visayas records over 700 HIV/AIDS cases as of Sept. appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
DOH aids NegOcc in curbing alarming dengue cases
BACOLOD CITY - A team from the Department of Health in Western Visayas (DOH-6) has been deployed to Negros Occidental to assist in curbing the increasing dengue incidence in the province, which now has the highest number of cases in the region.On Friday, the region's "SaBAYANg 4,5,6" campaig.....»»
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year
DOH: Pertussis cases 20 times more than last year.....»»
Cavite nagdeklara ng ‘state of calamity’ dahil sa ‘pertussis outbreak’
NASA ilalim na ng “state of calamity” ang probinsya ng Cavite. Ito ay dahil dumadami na ang mga nahahawa ng pertussis o whooping cough sa probinsya. Ayon sa provincial government, nakapagtala na sila ng 26 confirmed cases at kabaling na riyan ang anim na namatay dahil sa nasabing sakit. Narito ang datos ng Cavite kaugnay.....»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»
Kaspersky Shares Cybersecurity Tips for a Peaceful Getaway during the holy week
As the holiday season approaches, the urge to unwind and kick back is natural. And it’s all too common for people to let their guard down completely when connecting to the Internet too– but shouldn’t. Recently, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group shared its findings on identity theft cases in the country. Between November […].....»»
Vehicle sales rev up by 23% in February
Vehicle sales accelerated by more than a fifth in February from a year ago, supported by automotive firms’ marketing efforts as well as stable interest rates......»»