‘Zumba for a Cause: Dance Against HIV/AIDS’ scheduled for Nov. 29 in Parañaque
The number of HIV/AIDS cases has been increasing exponentially in the Philippines in recent years with much of the increase attributed to social media, low condom use and the use of injecting drugs.
In an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle and fight the dreaded disease, the city government of Parañaque will sponsor a dance marathon titled, “Zumba for a Cause: Dance Against HIV/AIDS” on Thursday Nov. 29.
The dance marathon will take place at the parking lot of SM City Sucat from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is organized by the Parañaque Social Hygiene Clinic.
“We encourage our constituents to participate in this dance marathon for the health benefits, likewise make a contribution to the worldwide effort to stop HIV/AIDS,” Parañaque City Mayor Jun Bernabe said.
According to a Parañaque PIA announcement, the dance marathon is open to 18 years old and above. Minors may be allowed to participate provided that it is with their parent’s/guardian’s consent. Participants must present a valid ID when registering P80 fee.
Participants will receive a marathon bib and a loot bag containing energy drink, pamphlets on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted disease, and even gift items from sponsors.
The Department of Health National Epidemiology Center (DOH-NEC) reported last month that a spike in HIV cases began in 2007 when only 317 HIV cases were reported. The number of new infections has been continuously increasing and in 2011, there were 2,349 reported cases of HIV.
“In 2000, there was one case of HIV reported every 3 days. Now, there are now 9 new cases reported every day. Every 3 hours, one Filipino becomes infected by HIV,” said Dr Eric Tayag, head of the DOH-NEC.