Herbosa: Philippines records 55 new cases of HIV a day

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Wednesday that the new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the Philippines have increased, with 55 cases being recorded on a daily basis.

''We have about 59,000 people living with HIV... That's still low for a country with 110 million. But ang ating mataas is new cases, 55 new cases a day, highest in the world. That's why we need to stop,'' Herbosa said at the sidelines of a Palace press briefing.

Herbosa said he met with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte to discuss the need to educate the youth about HIV.

He said the Department of Health is eyeing a program that would allow minors with HIV to get treatment with the consent of a doctor or the guardian. At present, Herbosa said the antiretroviral treatment could only be obtained from the government.

''You can't buy it in the private sector, Herbosa said. 

Herbosa earlier said the agency is mulling providing routine HIV services at general primary care facilities. He said this would help manage the number of HIV infections in the country.

“The data we have shows the way for what we do. Better health literacy including age- and culture-appropriate information and commodities for safe sex, routine HIV testing at primary care, and early access to antiretrovirals are clear directions to take,” he said in an earlier statement.

Citing data from the HIV & AIDS and antiretroviral therapy (ART) Registry of the Philippines (HARP), the Department of Health (DOH) said the Philippines recorded 3,410 new cases of HIV from January to March 2024 with 82 reported deaths.

Of the cases this year, 1,224 were recorded in March alone with 12 deaths. The ages ranged from less than 1 year old to 55 years old with a median age of 28 years old. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ/RF, GMA Integrated News