Written By Ric V. Obedencio
The Bohol Chronicle
Boholano overseas workers and their loved ones are warned of the high risk of being afflicted with Human Immuno Virus/Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) while working abroad.
Program manager Lawrence Castro of the PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc., (PFPI) a private non-stock, non-profit non-government organization that deals with health and environment, issued the statement amid escalation of the dreaded disease that still do not have a cure yet.
He told Contact Point over DyRD, in an exclusive interview last week, that 35% of the more than documented cases of HIV/AIDS in the country are OFWs. But he did not say how many Boholanos are affected by the disease.
PATH Foundation, which held an activity on social mobilization last week at Metro Center Hotel here, said that it now focuses on helping educate the families and dependents of the OFWs in six municipalities including this city considering the number of OFWs and tourism industry in these places. The project sites/towns involved in the program are Panglao, Dauis, Jagna, Loboc, Maribojoc and Tubigon.
The Foundation launched the multi-disciplinary approaches to address the risks the disease may bring. This includes "peer-mediated behavior change communications, policy or advocacy and capacity building.
But all these approaches would not be possible without the collaboration and cooperation of others like government agencies, local government units, NGOs to carry out interventions to the targeted beneficiaries.
Castro said that the virus can may be transmitted, not only by sexual encounter with other person not one's husband or wife, but also by blood transfusion and a mother bearing a child.
He also said that there is that so-called "theoretical risk," meaning there is a high possibility that the use of nail-cleaning tools could facilitate the transfer of the virus.
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