More than 1,200 new cases of HIV reported in January

March 9, 2019

More than 1,200 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been reported in January, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Based on the January HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines, there were 1,249 new HIV cases reported across the country.

The figure is higher than the 1,021 new HIV cases in January.

Of the total January cases, 16 percent or 196 cases had clinical manifestations of being advanced HIV infection or acquired immunodeficiency deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The DOH also reported 22 deaths from HIV/AIDS for January.

Sexual contact remains the predominant mode of transmission with 1,223 (98 percent).

Male-to-male sex accounted for 780 cases; followed by 306 from those having sex with both male and female; and 137 from male-to-female sex.

Other mode of transmission were needle sharing among injecting drug users accounted for nine cases.

There was also four cases of mother-to-child transmission while another 13 cases had no data on the mode of transmission, said the health department.

Almost one-third (32 percent, 402) were from the National Capital Region (NCR); followed by Calabarzon (18 percent, 228 cases); Central Luzon ( nine percent, 114); Central Visayas (8 percent, 97); and Western Visayas (7 percent, 92), comprise the top five regions with the most number of newly diagnosed cases for the month.

Ninety overseas Filipino workers were diagnosed with HIV with all but two infected through sexual contact (19 male-female sex, 47 male-male sex, and 22 sex with both males and females).

Since 1984, there have been 63,278 HIV cases, with 7,294 AIDS cases and 3,076 deaths. DMS