UN exec sees an HIV ‘epidemic’ in Philippines

AN OFFICIAL of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said Thursday the Philippines is already facing a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) “epidemic” given the “fast and furious” spread of the disease.

UNAIDS Country Director Bai Bagasao said the 22,527 HIV cases in the country can already be considered as an epidemic, although it is not yet a “generalized” one.

“Ang kagandahan pa din is it is concentrated dito sa Pilipinas. Ang concentrated epidemic, hindi pa kita sa general population,” said Bagasao.

She said the country remains fortunate that the persistent HIV spread is concentrated mostly among men-having-sex-with-men (MSMs), commercial sex workers (SWs), and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

She added that the spread in the country of HIV can already be considered as “fast and furious” given the trend of new cases being recorded monthly.

From only 250 reported cases per year from 2000 to 2008, the number has ballooned to 3,338 cases in 2012.

“There have been and shall be more than 5,000 new HIV cases per year beginning in 2013,” said Bagasao.

The UNAIDS official attributed the spread of HIV in the Philippines to continued low condom use, especially among the most-at-risk population.

Their data showed that less than 40 percent of MSMs use condoms while 65 percent of SWs practice safe sex.

Both are lower than the target 80 percent condom use among most-at-risk population.

Aside from the 22,500 HIV cases, Bagasao said they believe that the actual number is higher than the records of the Department of Health (DOH) for the period 1984-2014.

“No country can say the exact number of people living with HIV. The 22,500, that is the medium range. But it can go as high as 35,000 right now,” said Bagasao.

The difference, she said, can be attributed to the continued refusal of individuals to undergo HIV testing over fear of stigma.

Bagasao then warned that the country may be in danger of missing Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 6, which is to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 and begin to reverse the trend.

“For the MDG for HIV, it is threatened. We are nowhere near the goal as shown in the indicators,” said Bagasao. (HDT/Sunnex)