DOH monitors 431 new HIV cases in June, the highest recorded on monthly basis

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) had monitored 431 new cases of HIV last June, now the highest ever recorded on a monthly basis.

The 431 cases were reported to the DOH’s Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry, bringing to 2,323 the total number of cases since January, for an overall total of 14,025 cases since 1984.

“This year, there is one new HIV case reported every two hours,” posted DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric Tayag in his twitter account @erictayagsays.

The registry showed that 17 of the 431 were already full-blown AIDS at the time of reporting. One of the infected was less than 15 years old, but the 20-29 age group had the most number of cases at 57 percent.

The DOH said this was 46 percent higher compared to the 295 cases recorded in June 2012 and the highest number of cases reported in a month.

This is the fourth time that the DOH’s record for the highest number of cases on a monthly basis was broken. The first time the record was broken this year was in January with 380 cases, followed by April with 388 cases and in May with 415 cases.

The reported modes of transmission were sexual contact (387), needle sharing among injecting drug users (43) and mother-to-child transmission (1). Males having sex with males (88 percent) were the predominant type of sexual transmission.

The DOH said of the 14,025 cases since 1984, 1,289 were already AIDS.

Eighty-eight percent or 12,288 of the cases were males. Ages ranged from one to 81 with the age group 20-24 accounting for 22 percent of cases; followed by 25-29 for 30 percent and 30-34 for 19 percent.

“Ninety-three percent (13,036) were infected through sexual contact, four percent (531) through needle sharing among injecting drug users, less than one percent (60) through mother-to-child transmission, less than one percent (20) through blood transfusion and needle prick injury less than one percent (3),” the DOH said.

No data was available for three percent (375) of the cases. –Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com