Philippines sees 500% increase in HIV cases among young people
MANILA: The number of young Filipinos infected with HIV has increased by 500 percent, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Tuesday, as he called for a national public health emergency to be declared.
The Philippines has been facing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region due to the continuous rise in infections.
Health officials have been recording around 56 new cases daily since the beginning of April, a total of 5,101. The latest figure is approximately 50 percent higher than during the same period last year.
'We've seen a 500 percent increase in HIV cases among those aged 15 to 25. In fact, the youngest person diagnosed was just 12 years old, in the province of Palawan,' Herbosa said in a video statement.
'Based on our data, we now have the highest number of new cases in the Western Pacific region. What's frightening is the high number of new cases among our youth.'
The Philippines saw a 543 percent increase in new infections between 2010 and 2023, according to the UNAIDS global report released in November.
There are currently 148,831 active HIV cases in the country, which has a population of 117 million.
While the spread of HIV has slowed drastically in many parts of the world since the epidemic's peak in 1995, infections have been rising steeply for over a decade in the Philippines. Officials recorded 48 daily cases on average last year, compared to 21 in 2014.
The government has warned that if the current trend continues, the number of people living with HIV could more than double.
'If we don't stop the increase in HIV cases, we could reach over 400,000 people living with HIV … It would be better to declare a public health emergency or national emergency for HIV, so that the entire society and government can work together in this campaign to reduce new cases,' said Herbosa.
Though screening for the virus and treatment is free in state-run clinics, stigma surrounding HIV continues to be a major barrier for many Filipinos.
Only 55 percent of those living with the virus in the Philippines have been diagnosed, according to government data, while only 66 percent of those are on lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.
'Some people are afraid to get tested,' Herbosa said. 'We now also have HIV self-test kits in the Philippines, and I hope these self-test kits are used, especially to address the stigma.'
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