Of the 1,383 new HIV cases in October, 96 percent were male. Participating in the Global AIDS Strategy will help to reduce inequalities in 2025 that drive the AIDS epidemic.
For October alone, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 65 deaths while 1,383 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases were reported in the country, with 96 percent of the reported cases were males.
The age range of the reported cases varied from 2-75 years old based on the latest DOH HIV, AIDS, and ART Registry of the Philippines
Experts said if the current efforts in HIV response are maintained, the estimated People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Philippines could reach 364,000 by 2030, which is a two-fold increase from the estimated PLHIV by the end of 2022, Business Mirror reported.
Sexual contact remained as the predominant mode of transmission at 97 percent and currently 107,177 cases since January 1984.
The DOH launched the 7th AIDS Medium Term Plan (AMTP) and called for equal access to services for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) as well as full protection of human rights in support of the global objective of ending AIDS as a public health issue by 2030 and the annual observance of the World AIDS Day.
This year’s World AIDS Day theme “Putting Ourselves to the Test, Achieving Equity to End HIV” calls for bold, urgent action to promote rights-based, community-led, and evidence-based HIV services including prevention, sexual and reproductive health services, HIV testing, treatment, care, and support.
World AIDS Day explains accountability and action, affirming the country’s participation in the Global AIDS Strategy (2021-2026) that seeks to reduce inequalities 2025 that drive the AIDS epidemic.
“The ongoing HIV and AIDS epidemic in the country remains to be one of the long-standing issues requiring concerted action from all sectors of society. While the DOH strives to ensure the continuous, unhampered provision of health services to all Filipinos, we also require the support of other sectors and stakeholders to cultivate a sustainable and supportive environment that is responsive to the needs of our vulnerable and key populations such as our PLHIVs,” DOH OIC Maria Rosario Singh-Vergeire said.
The goal of ending AIDS can only be achieved if the inequalities that predispose us to the disease and exacerbate its impacts are addressed,” she added.
The DOH emphasized that all stakeholders and partners, including community and civil society organizations, must act holistically not just looking at health but also addressing its determinants—to end the HIV epidemic in order to realize the vision of zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.
“We must all work together not just to implement our strategies and interventions, but to ensure that those who need it most especially our PLHIVs and other key populations are able to access our HIV services without difficulty or stigma. Beyond this, we must also harness our individual expertise and join our efforts to address the systemic and socioeconomic barriers that prevent our fellow Filipinos from leading healthy, productive lives free from the impacts of HIV. Only through collective action will we be able to end the HIV epidemic in the country,” Vergeire said.
“On an individual level… Let us always practice safe sex, regularly undergo HIV testing, and encourage all our friends and peers to do the same,” Vergeire continued.
Globally, UNAIDS disclosed that there were 38.4 million people living with HIV at the end of 2021.
In the Asia and Pacific Region, the Philippines has the fastest-growing HIV case with a 237 percent increase in annual new HIV infections from 2010-2021.
Tags: #HIV, #DOH, #AIDS