Philippines warns of health emergency as HIV cases soar
Just 55% of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed. (AFP pic)
MANILA : Philippine medical authorities today warned of a looming 'public health emergency' as HIV infections have soared this year, with young males especially hard-hit.
On average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 50% jump from a year earlier, health department data shows.
'We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,' health secretary Ted Herbosa said in a video message released today.
'What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases,' he said.
'It would be in our interest to (declare) a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases,' Herbosa added.
The health department said 95% of newly reported cases were male, with 33% aged 15 to 24 and 47% aged 25 to 34.
The government did not explain the causes behind the surge, which it said had set back government attempts to hit global targets set by a United Nations campaign to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
Under Philippine law, the president can declare a health emergency if an epidemic poses a threat to national security.
The start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was the last time that was done.
Just 55% of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed, the health department said, while only 66% of those diagnosed are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy.
Sexual contact remains the predominant mode of transmission, with the bulk of cases since 2007 attributed to men having sex with men.
HIV cases have been on the rise in the Philippines since 2021, with 252,800 people estimated to be living with HIV in the country by the end of this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
11 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Don't ‘fantasise' about outside help, China warns Manila as it slams EU ‘provocations' in South China Sea
BEIJING, June 5 — The Chinese embassy in the Philippines urged the European Union to stop 'provoking trouble' in the South China Sea on Thursday, and advised Manila not to 'fantasise' about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway. An embassy spokesperson made the comments after EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited the Philippine capital and voiced concern over China's activities in the busy waterway, where its claims overlap those of some Southeast Asian nations. 'We urge the EU to genuinely respect China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and to stop provoking trouble,' the spokesperson said in a statement on the embassy website, noting the bloc has no right to interfere. The spokesperson also said Manila should return to dialogue and consultation to manage differences with China instead of 'fantasising about relying on external forces' to resolve the South China Sea dispute. The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The EU and the Philippines have expressed concerns about China's 'illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive measures' against Philippine vessels and aircraft conducting lawful maritime operations in the South China Sea, according to a joint statement after Kallas met with Philippine foreign minister earlier this week. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. — Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Philippines signs deal for 12 South Korean fighter jets
The FA-50 fighter jets will feature enhanced capabilities including advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons systems. (Wikipedia pic) MANILA : The Philippines has signed a contract for 12 more FA-50 fighter jets, its South Korean manufacturer said today, three months after one of the planes crashed during a mission against communist rebels. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) valued the deal with the department of national defence at US$700 million, with delivery of the jets to be completed by 2030. The Philippines, which has yet to confirm the pact, previously purchased a dozen of the light warplanes in 2014. In a statement, the South Korean firm said the fighter jets would feature enhanced capabilities including 'aerial refueling for extended range, (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, and advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons systems'. One of the Philippines' original fleet of FA-50s went missing on March 4 while on a mission to provide air support for troops fighting guerrillas in a mountainous area of the southern island of Mindanao. Rescuers found the wreckage of the plane and the bodies of two crewmen a day later. After temporarily grounding the fleet, the Philippine air force ruled out any mechanical problems with the aircraft. Air force spokesman Maria Consuelo Castillo told a press conference in April that a confluence of factors had contributed to the crash, including mountainous terrain and visibility issues. Castillo said in March that the purchase of additional FA-50s was under consideration by the defence department.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
‘Rested' Pacquiao relishing boxing comeback at 46
LOS ANGELES, June 4 — Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday shrugged off concerns about his decision to return to boxing at the age of 46 as he prepares for next month's world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios. The charismatic Filipino boxing icon stunned the sports world last month after announcing he would take on World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, four years after his last fight ended in a disappointing defeat. Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, told reporters on Tuesday that the glamour of championship boxing had prompted his return. 'I'm returning because I miss my boxing,' Pacquiao said at a press conference in Los Angeles. 'Especially these situations — being interviewed, press conference, training camp, everything like that. 'I missed that. But it has been good for me — I've rested my body for four years. And now I come back.' Pacquiao said that he had been left devastated following his decision to retire in the wake of his loss to Yordenis Ugas in 2021. 'I always thought, even when I hung up my gloves, 'I can still fight, I can still feel my body, I can still work hard,'' Pacquiao said. 'That moment when I announced hanging up my gloves four years ago — I was so sad. I was crying, I cannot stop the tears coming out my eyes.' Pacquiao, though, revealed that working out at his home in the Philippines persuaded him he still had the fitness and strength to fight. 'I realized when I'm playing basketball, training at the gym my house — I have complete sport facilities in my house — that I still have that passion. I still have that speed and power,' he said. 'Low-risk' comeback Some in boxing have expressed concerns about whether Pacquiao's comeback against Barrios, who is 16 years his junior, represents a risk to the Filipino's safety. Addressing those concerns, Pacquiao noted that his family and loved ones were firmly behind his comeback. 'I'm thankful for them for their concern,' Pacquiao told AFP. 'But the people who really concern me, is my family. My family saw how I move, saw how I train, saw my my body condition. They support me because they can see the old Pacquiao style.' Pacquiao, who has reunited with veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month's fight, is able to challenge immediately for a title due to a WBC rule that allows former champions to request a title fight when coming out of retirement. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told AFP on Tuesday that Pacquiao had been cleared to return to the ring by the Nevada Athletic Commission after undergoing medical exams, describing the fighter's comeback as 'low risk'. 'Manny Pacquiao is at no higher risk than any fighter going into the ring,' Sulaiman said. 'Manny has rested his body for four years. He's not a drinker. He's not a drug user. He's a family man that has taken care of himself. So of the different aspects of dangers, he's at the lowest risk.' Pacquiao's opponent, Barrios, said he would set aside the Filipino's status as one of the most beloved fighters of his era. 'There's nothing but good things to say about him outside the ring,' Barrios said of Pacquiao. 'He's a hard guy to dislike. But at the end of the day, you know it's kill or be killed. 'And I know if at any point he has me hurt, you know he's going to get me out of there. So I just have to go in there and make sure that my hand is raised at the end of the fight.' — AFP
