Twelve percent (134 of 1,111) of the new HIV cases reported to the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP) in July engaged in transactional sex, highlighting the behavior as a driver in the still-continuing worsening HIV situation in the country.
The percentage of the newly infected who engaged in transactional sex is similar to June’s figures (also 12%, or 123 of 1,006). Even earlier, in May, it was higher at 13% (or 144 of 1,092).
For July, 94% (126) of those who engaged in transactional sex were male and aged from 15 to 58 years old (median: 29 years). Forty-eight percent (61) of the males reported paying for sex only, 37% (46) reported accepting payment for sex only, and 15% (19) engaged in both.
Also, among the eight female cases who engaged in transactional sex, 88% (7) were reported to have accepted payment for sex only; while one female reported paying and accepting payment for sex.
Surprisingly, reporting of transactional sex was included in the HARP only in December 2012. HARP identifies people who engage in transactional sex as those who reported that they either pay for sex, regularly accept payment for sex, or do both.
This is not the only population gravely affected by HIV in the Philippines.
For one, the number of diagnosed HIV infections among females has been increasing. The number of diagnosed (402) females from January to July 2019 tripled, compared to the diagnosed (131) cases in the same period of 2014, five years prior. Ninety-two percent (4,012) of all female cases since 1984 were in the reproductive age group (15-49 years old) at the time of diagnosis.
As FYI: In the early years of the HIV epidemic in the Philippines (1984-1990), 62% (133 of 216 cases) of the diagnosed were female. But since 1991, the proportion of diagnosed males has been greater than that of females each year. From 1991 to present, males comprised 94% (65,079) of the 69,296 diagnosed cases. Also,from January 2018 to July 2019, 3% (551) of 17,909 diagnosed people are transgender women.
Second, HIV continues to greatly impact young Filipinos.
As per HARP: “The predominant age group among those diagnosed has shifted to 25-34 years old starting 2006 from 35-49 years old in 2001 to 2005.” But “the proportion of HIV positive cases in the 15-24 year age group nearly doubled in the past 10 years, from 17% in 2000 to 2009 to 29% in 2010 to 2019.”
In July, there were 59 newly diagnosed adolescents, 10-19 years old at the time of diagnosis. Further, one case was 10-14 years old, 15 cases were 15-17 years old, and 43 cases were 18-19 years old. All were infected through sexual contact (eight male-female sex, 37 male-male sex, and 14 had sex with both males and females).
There were two diagnosed cases less than 10 years old and both were infected through vertical (nee mother-to-child) transmission.
Also in July, 348 (31%) cases were among youth 15-24 years old; 95% were male. All were infected through sexual contact (34 male-female sex, 233 male-male sex, 81 sex with both males and females).
Third, 82 Filipinos who worked overseas within the past five years, whether on land or at sea, were diagnosed in July. They comprised 7% of the total newly diagnosed cases for the month. Of these, 90% (74) were male. All were infected through sexual contact (15 male-female sex, 39 male-male sex, and 28 sex with both males and females).
Fourth, in July, 10 pregnant women were diagnosed with HIV. Six cases were from NCR and one case each from Regions 1, 4A, 7 and 11. The age of diagnosis ranged from 16 to 39.
Reporting of pregnancy status at the time of testing was also only added recently, from the year 2011. And since 2011, a total of 333 diagnosed pregnant women were reported. More than half (54%, 180) were 15-24 years old at the time of diagnosis, and 38% (127) were 25-34 years old.
HIV can be managed via taking of antiretroviral medicines. But to date, only approximately half of the total 69,512 Filipinos living with HIV are on ART.
So perhaps not surprisingly, in July2019, there were 55 reported deaths due to any cause among people with HIV. Ninety-eight percent (54) were males. Two (4%) were less than 15 years old at the time of death, six (11%) cases were 15-24 years old, 30 (54%) were 25-34 years old, and 17 (31%) were 35-49 years old. Ninety-two percent of these cases were reported to have acquired the infection through sexual contact.
