KUWAIT CITY, June 24: The case of the Filipina who died on June 17, 2012 in the Al Amiri Hospital in Kuwait has gone viral on Filipino groups on Facebook worldwide after the friend of the deceased posted her photo on Facebook appealing for help for the repatriation of her remains to the Philippines. The announcement posted on Facebook stated that whoever knows the relatives of the deceased in Zamboanga City, Western Mindanao, Philippines, to inform them about her death.

The Arab Times contacted the Philippine Embassy for feedback on the case of the OFW who was identified as Florinda Hernandez Hamos. 

Muamar Hassan, the Assistance to Nationals Unit (ATNU) Officer at the Philippine Embassy told the Arab Times on Sunday that the Philippine Embassy has been already notified by the concerned authorities about the death of Hamos who was working as a household service worker (HSW) at the time of her death.

 “We are now making the necessary arrangements for the immediate repatriation of the remains of Ms Hamos who died of a natural cause as stated in her death certificate,” disclosed Hassan. He added that Hamos used a different name on her passport whose real name was Sha-Sha Kamlian. “We have already informed the next of kin of the deceased in the Philippines,” he reiterated, brushing aside reports that the Philippine Embassy has not acted on her case. He added that her sponsor is willing to help shoulder the repatriation expenses.

Based on the copy of the death certificate handed by Hassan to the Arab Times, Hamos died due to acute failure in blood circulation and respiration and the direct cause of death is due to lung tuberculosis. “The death certificate also stated that the deceased was afflicted by HIV that resulted to the above condition,” he added. HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus that can lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, or AIDS. HIV damages a person’s body by destroying specific blood cells, called CD4+ T cells, which are crucial to helping the body fight diseases.

With the death of Hamos or Kamlian, the Philippine embassy urged all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Kuwait to take extra precaution so as not to contract the deadly HIV. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV is spread primarily by not using a condom when having sex with a person who has HIV. All unprotected sex with someone who has HIV contains some risk, having multiple sex partners or the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can increase the risk of infection during sex. HIV is also spread by sharing needles, syringes, rinse water, or other equipment used to prepare illicit drugs for injection; and being born to an infected mother — HIV can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding.

It can be recalled that in March this year, a Filipino who had been working as a chef for three years in Kuwait tested positive for HIV. He flew back to the Philippines with the help of some members of the Filipino community after he sought help from the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO).

Every year, expatriates working for salons, restaurants and spas, have to undergo medical tests. It was during the annual medical test in January that he found out he was HIV positive. Under Kuwaiti law, those expatriates tested positive for HIV will only be given 15 days by the Ministry of Health to leave the country. In the case of Hamos, the embassy pointed out that she might not have known that she was HIV positive who later succumbed to TB due to the weakened immune defense system in her body.