The Department of Health (DOH) reported that in November 2022, 1,251 Filipinos were infected with HIV, bringing the daily HIV infections to 42. The DOH’s latest HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines (HARP), released this January 2023, only covered November and not December. The regions with the most number of newly reported cases remain to be NCR, CaLaBaRZon (4A), Central Luzon (3), Central Visayas (7), and Western Visavas (6). These regions comprised 73% of the total number of cases in this period.
Based on the report, 96% (1,195) of the cases were male, and 32% (406) were 15-24 years old at the time of diagnosis, with three others under the age of 15.
The main mode of transmission (MOT) is through sexual contact – i.e. of the total reported cases in November 2022, 1,222 (98%) acquired HIV through sexual contact. Other MOTs included: sharing of infected needles, and vertical (formerly mother-to-child) transmission.
Even among the young, sex was the MOT – i.e. 401 (99%) were infected with HIV through sexual contact (315 male-male sex, 51 through sex with both males, and females, and 35 through male-female sex).
There are other key populations affected by HIV in the Philippines.
For November 2022, there were nine HIV-positive women who were pregnant at the time of diagnosis. The age at diagnosis ranged from 12 to 43 years old. And since 2011, a total of 715 diagnosed women were reported pregnant at the time of diagnosis.
Sixty-two of the total reported cases in November 2022 were Filipinos who worked overseas within the past five years, whether on land or at sea. Among them, 39 (95%) were male and 3(5%) were female. Sixty (97%) of the new HIV-positive OFWs acquired HIV through sexual contact.
Also, in November 2022, 111 (9% of the newly reported cases) engaged in transactional sex within the past 12 months. Almost all (110, 99%) were male; and 37 (92%) reported paying for sex, 45 (59%) reported accepting payment for sex, and 10 (9%) engaged in both.
At least 959 Filipinos living with HIV were enrolled in anti-retroviral treatment. This number, nonetheless, does not only include those who were infected in November. But among them, one (<1%) was less than 15 years old, 269 (28%) were 15-24 years old, 498 (52%) were 25-34 years old, 171 (18%) were 35-49 years old, and 20 (2%) were 50 years and older.
To date, still only over half (or 66,657) of the 108,428 PLHIVs in the Philippines were on ART as of November 2022.
Not surprisingly, HIV remains a death sentence in the Philippines. In November 2022, 43 reported deaths were linked to HIV/AIDS. Six (14%) were 15-24 years old at the time of death, 12 (49%) were 25-34 years old, 15 (35%) were 35-49 years old, and one (2%) was 50 years old and above.
