AIDS is ravaging the large overseas work force of the Philippines, posing a long-term threat to one of Manila's key sources of foreign exchange, the health department said. Thirty-five percent of all documented cases of HIV carriers are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including 42 percent of the newly reported cases in 2006, according to new data released by the department. The government estimates there were some 11,200 HIV carriers in the Philippines as of December 2005.
"It is a must that we act now because OFWs are regarded as modern-day heroes and are major contributors to the country's gross domestic product and economic stability in general," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque. He said there were limited services to educate and support families of overseas Filipino workers who return home suffering from the virus that causes AIDS. (Yahoo News, AFP)
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