OUT of every 100 Filipinos who inject themselves woth illegal drugs, and who have themselves voluntarily tested for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 29 are diagnosed HIV-positive, mayoral candidate Mike Defensor of Anakalusugan said on Sunday.

The HIV prevalence rate is 29 percent among Filipinos who inject themselves with drugs, including liquid shabu, or methamphetamine hydrochloride, Defensor said, citing a study by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in the Philippines.

“There’s no question that the risk of HIV infection is extremely high if an individual uses a needle or syringe that somebody with HIV has used, because the injection device may have residual blood, which can transfer HIV,” Defensor said.

“In America, injection device sharing among drug users is now the second biggest spreader of HIV, next to receptive anal sex. And we don’t want this to happen here in the Philippines,” Defensor said.

“If we do not counteract the spread of HIV among Filipinos who inject (themselves with) drugs, the problem could be a huge future driver of the ongoing HIV epidemic in the country,” Defensor warned.

Liquid shabu injection is fast becoming popular among Filipino drug users because “it produces a faster and greater high” compared to inhalation or sniffing/snorting, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The PDEA said the effects of injected liquid shabu “range from increased libido to prolonged sexual activity.”

“We would urge Filipinos who inject drugs to have themselves voluntarily tested for HIV, especially if they’ve shared an injection device,” Defensor said.

“This way, if they are diagnosed HIV-positive, they can undergo early treatment, and also help prevent transferring their condition to their loved ones, or to their sexual partners,” Defensor said.

Defensor assured drug users that “they face absolutely no legal repercussions whatsoever” if they seek HIV testing.

“The confidentiality of the personal details of every Filipino submitting to an HIV test is guaranteed by law, and any disclosure is punishable by law,” Defensor said.

HIV causes AIDS, or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which destroys the human body’s natural ability to ward off all kinds of infections.

People living with HIV without knowing it and without treatment are highly susceptible to opportunistic diseases, such as severe fungal, parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections.

While HIV still does not have any known cure, antiretroviral therapy (ART) slows the progression of the virus to a near halt and reduces the risk of transmission.