HIV/AIDS | Youth make up 85% of newly infected Pinoys – PLCPD

By: Diego Mora, InterAksyon.com | Hannibal Talete, News5, December 2, 2016

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATED W/VIDEO) The youth need to be more active in the war against HIV/AIDS since 85 percent of new infections in the country happen among Filipinos aged between 15 to 30, the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development said.

In a statement commemorating International AIDS Day on December 1, the nonprofit also noted that 62 percent of the newly infected are aged between 15 and 24, well within the period of high fecundity among females and virility among males.

The National Youth Commission has taken cognizance of this, declaring that “the HIV epidemic in our country has a new face, and it is the face of a young person.”

The PLCPD also called for a gender-sensitive, human rights-based approach to HIV response.

“The last two decades have seen an improvement in the action on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, both in intensity and extent,” it acknowledged. “A total of 18.2 million persons living with HIV (PLHIVs) have access to antiretroviral therapy, and $19 billion in funds have been mobilized for response to HIV and AIDS in low- and middle-income countries.”

However, “even with this investment, many young PLHIVs have their health threatened, and their opportunities for development, compromised. There is the risk of lost productivity due to poor physical and mental well-being; also, due to discriminatory policies restricting their employability and mobility. Lesser opportunities for young people to be active contributors to the economy may hamper development in a larger scale,” it said.

The Philippines, it added, faces serious challenges to its anti-HIV/AIDS response.

“We have an outdated AIDS Prevention and Control Act, which restricts access of minors to HIV testing, and consequently, treatment services. The law — once hailed as model legislation across the world — no longer responds to the country’s needs. There is a need for a comprehensive law that will cover HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,” it said.

The PLPCD said among its members’ priority legislative agenda in the 17th Congress are policy measures to address the “fast and furious” rise of new HIV infections.

“For one, PLCPD is pushing for reforms to the AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, including easing the access of minors to HIV testing services. The Comprehensive Anti-Discrimination, which aims to protect Filipinos from discrimination on the basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) and HIV status, among others,” it said.