An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure (for HIV)

Exactly two weeks after celebrating World AIDS Day, a man has reportedly been cured of HIV infection through Stem Cell transplant. 

Timothy Ray Brown, aka the 'Berlin patient' has suffered from acute myeloid leukaemia which required stem cell treatment after going through a relapse in 2007. Doctors believe that the man has been cured of HIV infection as a result of the treatment, which introduced stem cells which happened to be resistant to HIV infection. The resistance was due to the lack of CCR5 co-receptors in his cells which happens to be the docking station of the virus. The entry of HIV into the CD4 cells requires an interaction with a cellular receptor, in this case, the CCR5.

The absence of CCR5 makes it impossible for the virus to penetrate CD4 cells therefore, inhibiting its mutation and the spread of the virus which will later on suppress the body's immune system.

As of the moment, antiretroviral treatment is available for people infected with HIV and with this report, it is indeed a breakthrough in the medical field considering that stem cells can potentially be a cure for HIV. 

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On a slightly different note, according to the United Nations Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2010, new HIV infections are declining. 

In 2009, there were an estimated 2.6 million [2.3 million–2.8 million] people who became newly infected with HIV. Th is is nearly one fifth (19%) fewer than the 3.1 million [2.9 million–3.4 million] people newly infected in 1999, and more than one fi ft h (21%) fewer than the estimated 3.2 million [3.0 million–3.5million] in 1997, the year in which annual new infections peaked.

Matter-of-fact, thirty three countries have reported a staggering 25% in the decline of HIV infections between 2001 and 2009. 

The number of people being infected with HIV is declining steadily over the past decade.

While there is a general trend of decreasing HIV infections in the world, it is quite alarming that the Philippines is exhibiting an opposite trend. Along with Bangladesh and Mongolia in the Asian continent, the country is seeing a continuous increase in the number of HIV incidences involving the younger population. 

My oh my! The Philippines, marked in red, is the only South East Asian country showing an increase in HIV infections.

The fact that the Philippines still remains as a low-prevalence country in terms of recorded HIV infections  should not equate to complacency. Adequate measures to safeguard the general public should be placed in order to curb the number of people getting the virus. Personally, the most efficient tool that the government has at its disposal is the provision of adequate education to its citizens. By being educated, people will have more informed choice.

Here in the Philippines, we have Republic Act No. 8504 or AN ACT OF PROMULGATING POLICIES AND PRESCRIBING MEASURES FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF HIV/AIDS IN THE PHILIPPINES, INSTITUTING A NATIONWIDE HIV/AIDS INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, ESTABLISHING A COMPREHENSIVE HIV/AIDS MONITORING SYSTEM, STRENGTHENING THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL AIDS COUNCIL, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 

It is good to know that such law exists in the country, however, while the government recognizes the importance of educating people, they miserably fail to enact what is stipulated in the law, particularly what is being stated in Section 2 of R.A.8504:

  a)    The State shall promote public awareness about the causes. Modes of transmission, consequences, means of prevention and control of HIV/AIDS through a comprehensive nationwide educational and information campaign organized and conducted by the State. Such campaigns shall promote value formation and employ scientifically proven approaches, focus on the family as a basic social unit, and be carried out in all schools and training centers, workplaces, and communities. This program shall involve affected individuals and groups, including people living with HIV/AIDS.

The strong influence of the Catholic church in the Philippines proves to be one of the most formidable barriers to providing a scientifically-based and comprehensive reproductive health education scheme which would effect significantly in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the country.

HIV/AIDS is a threat that warrants an immediate and prompt response not only from the end of the government but also from various stakeholders. In the past couple of years, HIV as a health issue was not given much attention due to the small, even deemed insignificant, number of patients suffering from its infection. But quite recently, we are taken aback with the continuous increase of people getting infected, this is why we need to collectively act as a nation to ensure that appropriate and adequate solutions are executed for the greater good.