2-year-old child dies of HIV/AIDS in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The death of a 2-year-old child here due to Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has alarmed local health officials because it meant the disease has already crept into the general population.

The toddler, who got the virus from one of the parents, was already categorized as a person living with HIV/AIDS.

“It is alarming because it means that HIV/AIDS is no longer in a typical sexual transmission mode but has already affected the general population,” Dr. Kibtiya Uddin, assistant city health officer, said.

Monitoring

“We have pregnant mothers and children below 15 years old now identified as persons living with HIV/AIDS,” she said.

By “general population,” Uddin meant that all parts of the population, regardless of gender and age were already affected, she said. She added, though, that 99 percent of the cause of the HIV/AIDS transmission was still through sexual activity.

The HIV registry of the city health office here showed that there were two pregnant mothers, classified as persons living with HIV/AIDS, and two more children, age 6 and 7, who had been afflicted. Two other cases are still being verified.

The two infected children got the virus from their mothers.

“We don’t know the nutritional status of these two kids but we are looking into it now. We will try to do something to prolong their lives,” Uddin said.

Increase

The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Zamboanga City has increased to 433 since 1995. Of the total, 69 patients had died. Seventeen died in 2017, the highest in a single year.

Uddin also cited the alarming increase in the number of cases among minors and teenagers. She noted 134 cases among young people, aged 15 to 24.