More Filipinos acquire HIV through paid sex

By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star), Aug 28, 2017

MANILA, Philippines – More men in the Philippines have acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) because of paid sex, a report from the Department of Health (DOH) shows.

According to DOH’s HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP), 91 people nationwide, mostly men, got infected last June because of paid sex.

“Most were male, whose ages ranged from 16 to 54 years; while two were females both aged 25 years old,” the HARP said.

Health experts said people who engage in transactional sex are those who report that they pay for sex, regularly accept payment for sex, or both.

Fifty-five cases involved those that paid for sex and except for one, all of the patients are male. Twenty-four males claimed to have acquired HIV after accepting payment for sex. Eleven males and one female got infected after engaging in both.

In the first six months of 2017 alone, a total of 510 HIV cases acquired through paid sex have been reported.

From December 2012 to June 2017, there are 4,032 HIV cases reported due to transactional sex.