Government Center, Palo, Leyte – The Department of Health regional office 8 (DoH-8) has declared that there will be no condom distribution in any school in Eastern Visayas.
Dr. Paula Paz M. Sydiongco, MD, assistant regional director, DoH-8, told reporters in press conference that her office will not distribute condom this year to any school in the region since it is not selected by Department of Health distribution of said contraceptive.
She further explained that the planned condom distributions in schools will only be done in regions where cases of HIV-AIDS are high just like those in the National Capital Region.
Sydiongco however said they recognize the efforts of the DOH in addressing growing HIV-AIDS cases in the country.
But HIV-AIDS cases in Eastern Visayas is less than 1 percent of the total cases nationwide, making it the primary reason why Eastern Visayas is not included in condom distribution.
Since DOH-8 started monitoring the HIV-AIDS cases in the region in 1984, there were only 370 reported up to the present. As of 2015, there were about 89 cases reported with eight deaths. (Restituto Cayubit)