Profiteers in HIV ‘advocacy’ will celebrate the worsening numbers.
From January to March 2024, the country logged 3,410 new HIV cases, according to latest data from the Department of Health’s (DOH) HIV & AIDS and antiretroviral therapy (ART) Registry of the Philippines (HARP).
Key populations continue to be ravaged by HIV, particularly males having sex with males (MSM) (89%) and youth aged 15 to 24 (47%).
In March alone, when 1,224 new HIV cases were reported, 46% of the new cases for were aged 25 to 34, while almost a third (31%) were among the youth ages 15 to 24.
Sadly, among the 122,255 diagnosed HIV cases who are still alive, only 64% (78,633) are currently receiving lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) medicine. Perhaps not surprisingly, in March, there were also 12 reported deaths (ages ranging from less than 1 to 55).
Almost all of the cases (74%) came from the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Region 4-A (Calabarzon), Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.
In a statement, DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa noted that the AIDS Epidemic Model (AEM) and Spectrum suggests a continued rise in new HIV infections, expected to reach 36,700 by 2030 given the current conditions. As such, by 2030, the number of Filipinos living with HIV could increase from 215,400 in 2024 to 401,700, particularly if “services for HIV/AIDS prevention in general and PLHIV support continue to lack improvement.”
“Better health literacy including age- and culture-appropriate information and commodities for safe sex, routine HIV testing at primary care, and early access to antiretrovirals are clear directions to take,” Herbosa was quoted as saying.
