Magetan (ANTARA) – The Magetan District Health Office, East Java, found 69 new cases of HIV/AIDS sufferers in the local area during 2021.
“HIV/AIDS cases continue to grow. Even at the beginning of 2022, there have been two people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Magetan Regency who have died,” said the Sub-Coordinator for the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases at the Magetan Health Office, Agoes Yudi Purnomo, in Magetan, Tuesday.
He said the number of PLWHA in Magetan Regency continues to increase from year to year.
In fact, cases of HIV/AIDS in the region are an “iceberg” phenomenon, considering that only the outer cases are revealed, while there are still many cases inside that have not been revealed. This makes new cases of HIV/AIDS findings in Magetan Regency continue to occur every year.
The Magetan Health Office continues to strengthen data collection and assistance for old and new PLWHA.
Currently, there are a total of 154 PLWHA undergoing ARV therapy in six Support and Treatment Clinics (PDP). PDP Clinic is a health service that focuses on the spread and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
“We have six PDP clinic services. Two are at the hospital and four are at the puskesmas,” said Agoes.
As an effort to prevent the addition of PLWHA who died, the local Health Office through the puskesmas conducted data collection of PLWHA who had stopped or had not undergone ARV therapy.
“We will strengthen data collection and provide further assistance. We will record data on whether or not ARV therapy has stopped. Furthermore, there will be assistants who will accompany PLWHA friends to consistently undergo ARV therapy,” he said.
ARV therapy is one of the recommended treatments for PLWHA. ARVs or antiretroviral drugs cannot cure HIV/AIDS patients. ARVs reduce the “viral load”, which is the amount of HIV in the bloodstream.
If the “viral load” is lower, then PLWHA will stay healthy longer and can minimize the possibility of transmitting HIV to others.
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