DOH reports 204 new cases of HIV/AIDS

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported 204 new cases of HIV/AIDS in the country.

In its Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry, the DOH said the new cases were registered in July, bringing to 1,220 the total number of HIV cases this year. Of the number, 27 cases have progressed into AIDS.

The latest cases brought to 7,235 the total number of HIV cases, including 884 AIDS with 327 deaths since January 1984.

The registry showed that 11 of the 204 cases were drug users who acquired the AIDS virus by sharing contaminated needles. The rest got infected from sexual contact.

“Males having sex with other males (MSM) were the predominant type of sexual transmission at 81 percent. There were two reported deaths for this month,” the DOH noted.

The new cases are all males in the reproductive age of 24 to 30 years old and the highest monthly increase in HIV/AIDS cases in the country.

Commercial sex workers used to be the main contributors of HIV/AIDS cases in the country. But in 2007, the DOH observed growing cases among the sector of MSM, including straight men who have sex with men out of curiosity.

In 2009, the agency noted increasing cases among injecting drug users, particularly in Cebu City.

Disease experts have warned that injecting drug users might cause the rapid spread of the virus because a contaminated needle is usually used by four to 10 individuals during a session.

The registry reported that of the 7,235 cases, 6,572 were infected through sexual contact; 183, needle sharing among injecting drug users; 54, mother-to-child transmission; and 20, blood transfusion.

In an earlier interview, Health Assistant Secretary and chief epidemiologist Dr. Eric Tayag said that the DOH is undertaking various intervention programs to reverse the trend. –Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star)