DOH: 38 new HIV cases reported daily

MANILA, Philippines — Be vigilant about HIV, the Department of Health (DOH) urged the public anew as it noted that the country is now seeing 38 new cases every day.  

According to DOH Undersecretary Eric Domingo, this is up from 32 cases in 2018, 16 cases in 2014, seven cases in 2011 and two in 2009.

“Unfortunately, our HIV cases still continue to rise. We’re still one of the highest (in terms of) new cases in the world,” Domingo said yesterday.

Even more alarming, he added, is the fact that one-third of the new cases come from the 15- to 24-year-old age group.

Domingo also said that a majority of the cases were due to unsafe sexual practices.

He noted that while more people are now seeking diagnosis and treatment, the number of cases is still on the rise, especially among the youth whose “sexual activities start at a very early age of 15 or 16.”

“If you engage in sex at a very young age, most likely you are not aware about safe sexual practices. You don’t know how to protect yourself,” he said.

Based on the latest surveillance report of the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau, there were 1,013 new cases of HIV/AIDS last February, bringing to 64,291 the total number of cases since January 1984. It also reported that 15 percent or 152 cases already had clinical manifestations of advanced HIV infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).  

There were 59 deaths in February alone.

Sexual contact is still the predominant mode of transmission as noted in 988 cases, with male-to-male sex accounting for 603 cases, followed by 243 who engaged in sex with both males and females, and 142 who were into male-to-female sex.

Data also showed there were 11 cases of injecting drug users who shared contaminated needles and two mother-to-child transmissions.  

Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano urged Filipino families to keep vigilant on the measles outbreak even if the DOH has reported a drop in the number of cases across the country.