PHL reaches 20,000 mark in HIV cases

THE Philippines now has more than 20,000 people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 30 years since the first case was reported in the country.

According to the August 2014 Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry Report, there are now 20,424 HIV cases recorded in the country since 1984.

Since 1984, HIV cases reported to the DOH included 1,857 AIDS cases and 1,052 deaths.

There were 509 new HIV cases found in August 2014, based on the monthly report of the DOH – National Epidemiology Center (NEC).

“This was 33 percent higher compared to the same period last year, which was at 382,” said the DOH.

Of the 509 new cases, 42 have progressed already to full-blown AIDS cases.

Twelve, on the other hand, died last August, said the DOH-NEC.

The figures recorded in August brings to 3,908 the number of HIV cases recorded in just the first eight months of the year, with 351 already developing into AIDS cases and 113 deaths.

A total of 473 cases (93 percent) of the new cases were acquired through sexual transmission, mostly from the men-having-sex-with-men (MSM) population, which accounted for 413 cases or 87 percent.

Homosexual contact was responsible for 243 cases (51 percent); followed by bisexual contact with 170 cases (36 percent); and 60 cases (13 percent) from heterosexual contact.

Injecting drug use accounted for the 34 new cases; while two cases were cases of mother-to-child transmission.

A total of 47 new cases among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), meanwhile, have been reported with all coming from sexual transmission.

Homosexual contact was on top among OFWs with 18 cases (38 percent) while heterosexual and bisexual contact had 15 (32 percent) and 14 (30 percent) cases, respectively. (HDT/Sunnex)