On World AIDS Day, communities around the world come together to show solidarity with people living with human immunodeficiency viruses, or HIV, and to remember the millions of lives lost to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS has set a goal of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
The Philippines is experiencing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region. An infectious disease expert on Thursday called on the public to practice safe sex.
According to Dr. Benjamin Co, Group Chief Medical Officer of Metro Pacific Health, the country has observed a 411 percent increase in daily HIV incidence between 2012 and 2022.
Co underscored that while the government is already doing enough against the HIV epidemic, there should also be a collective effort that has to be done.
"The government has done enough. As a matter of fact, they are providing a lot of information and cascading it to the community," Co explained during the Metro Pacific Health Media Roundtable: Decode Season 2.
"I think on our end it should be promoting safe sex and less risky behavior," he added.
According to Department of Health (DOH) data, almost half of HIV deaths came from 25 to 34 years old. HIV fatalities from 2022 to October 2023 reached 834.
Co attributed this to the "risky behavior" of the youth.
"[This is] where your hormones are all raging up and you want to behave in the most indiscriminate manner" he continued.
"Let's promote health education so that we can empower people to make better judgment with their lifestyle," he added.
The DOH estimates that by 2030, there will be 401,700 people living with HIV.
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