Rise in new HIV cases in Philippines

MANILA: While HIV infection rates have been dropping globally, the number of new HIV cases in the Philippines continues to increase.

Since the first recorded HIV case in the Philippines in 1984, there has been a steady increase in the number of Filipinos being infected with HIV.

There are now 7,031 cases.

Eight hundred and seventy-five people have advanced to full-blown AIDS, and more than a third of these have led to deaths.

Teresita Marie Bagasao, country coordinator at UNAIDS, said: “It is alarming because if you look at for instance in 2007, the country was reporting one new infection per every other day. By the end of 2009 and towards 2010, we were already reporting one to two infections a day.

“Right now, given the current report, what the Department of Health is saying is that you are already reporting six new infections a day. So…the rate of increase is exponential.”

While other countries have either stabilised or shown significant decrease in the rate of new infections, HIV in the Philippines is on the uptrend.

It is one of seven countries that reported an increase of more than 25 per cent in new HIV infections, between 2001 and 2009.

The health department fears it will not be able to help the growing number of Filipinos getting infected.

Dr Enrique Tayag, assistant secretary at the Department of Health, said: “We have a shortfall for funding AIDS prevention and control and we are working our way how to remedy that.”

The Philippines is already heavily dependent on international donors, like The Global Fund and USAID.

More than 800 Filipinos living with HIV get free anti-retroviral drugs from The Global Fund.

But this will end in 2012.

Since goodwill does not last forever, the government is aware that a new strategy is needed to solve a long-term problem.

Dr Enrique Tayag said: “What we want to happen is that (are) no new infections or there will be a slowing down of new HIV infections, rather than just focusing on treatment. Of course, treatment will curtail the spread of new infections to other people, but that does not deny the fact that you have new HIV infections which we do not want to happen.”

With barely five years into the deadline to achieve its sixth Millennium Development Goal of combating HIV and AIDS, the Philippine government has to work doubly hard to curb the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country.

But with a limited budget, the health department admits that it is finding it hard to implement a wide-scale intervention and education campaign on HIV and AIDS.

The health department is now seeking the help of non-governmental organisations and the private sector in its fight against the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country. – CNA/ms