Free anti-HIV meds now available at KPH-Balay Lumin-awa Treatment Hub

Tabuk City, Kalinga - In an effort to prevent Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from further spreading, the Department of Health - Cordillera is now providing free anti-HIV medicine across various medical facilities and HIV treatment hubs in the region.

On its Facebook page, the DOH STI-HIV Prevention and Control - CAR said that the medicine, named Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), helps people who are HIV-negative stay protected from contracting the virus when taken properly.

The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis medicine, according to the National Institutes of Health, works by blocking the virus from entering the body. When taken regularly, it can lower the risk of getting HIV through sex or sharing needles by up to 99%. 

In Kalinga, PrEP is now available at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital - Balay Lumin-awa Treatment Hub in Bulanao, Tabuk City.

For more information on how to get free PrEP, simply visit the Balay Lumin-awa Treatment Hub. Apart from the medicine, the hub also offers medical advice and follow-up care.

The hub guarantees that all services are confidential to protect the privacy and dignity of its patients.

Given the high number of HIV cases in CAR (1,046 cases from 1984 to September 2023), the initiative aims to counter the rising number of HIV-infected individuals in the region.