By Chito Chavez

With 505 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases recorded by the Quezon City Health Department from January to July this year, the city government will launch on Monday, December 2, the “Zero at 2030 campaign’’ in a bid to address the problem.

Mayor Joy Belmonte explained the program aims to prevent the spread of HIV in “three stages: Prevention, Control, and Treatment’’.

The findings have alarmed Quezon City officials prompting the city government to set up the program.

Out of the 505 HIV cases in the city, 486 males and 19 females were infected by the disease during the period.

In July alone, 77 new HIV cases were tallied, according to Dr. Rolando Cruz, head of the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit and STI/HIV Program Manager.

While the number of cases this year is lower compared to the 509 cases recorded last year, Cruz said the number could surpass last year’s 849 new cases before 2019 ends.

From the 505 new cases, 321 were transmitted through male-to-male sex, 116 through males having sex with both males and females and 61 via male-female sex only.

Cruz said the reasons behind the high number of new HIV cases include high risky sexual behavior and very low use of condom or protective behavior.

“The low knowledge to prevention of HIV and stigma and discrimination attached to HIV also contributed to the high number of fresh cases,” said Cruz.

With this revelation, Belmonte said “we are concerned by the continued incidence of new HIV cases in the city amid our ongoing efforts to combat it”.

By 2022, Belmonte said the campaign’s target is to have 90 percent of local residents with HIV to know their status, 90 percent who are positive to get treatment and 90 percent on treatment should stay treated.

“This way, we can reach the goal of zero new cases, zero HIV-related deaths and zero discrimination by 2030,” Belmonte concluded.