The Philippines is experiencing the fastest-spreading human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the Western Pacific region, an infectious disease expert said on Thursday, as he called on the public to practice safe sex.

According to Dr. Benjamin Co, group chief medical officer of Metro Pacific Health, the country had seen 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 be a collective effort that needs 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 said.

“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 was in the 25 to 34 years age range. HIV fatalities from 2022 to 2023 totaled 834.

Co attributed this to the “risky behavior” of the youth.

“[This is] where your hormones are all raging and you want to behave in the most indiscriminate manner,” he said.

“Let’s promote health education so that we can empower people to make better judgments with their lifestyles,” he added.

The DoH estimates that by 2030, there will be 401,700 Filipinos living with HIV.