215,400 HIV cases predicted this year
Over the past five years, sexual contact remained the predominant mode of transmission among newly diagnosed cases.
Over the past five years, sexual contact remained the predominant mode of transmission among newly diagnosed cases.
The Philippines is projected to have about 215,400 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases by the end of 2024, according to Department of Health (DoH) data.
As of March 2024, of the estimated 122,241 persons living with HIV (PLHIV), 57 percent have been diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed and are currently alive or not reported as deceased.
Additionally, 79,643 or 65 percent of PLHIVs are currently on life-saving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), of which, 35,277 or 44 percent PLHIVs have been tested for viral load (VL) in the past 12 months.
Among those tested for VL, 30,996 or 88 percent are virally suppressed. However, only 39 percent were virally suppressed among PLHIV on ART.
From January to March 2024, 4,325 clients were newly enrolled in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), marking a 13 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Of the enrollees in the first quarter, 39 were less than 18 years old at the time of enrollment, 1,682 were 18 to 24 years old, 1,993 were 25 to 34 years old and 559 were 35 years old and above.
Sixty-one percent or 3,790 of the newly enrolled in PrEP were from Metro Manila.
Of the newly reported confirmed HIV cases this period, 3,190 (94 percent) were males while 219 (6 percent) were females.
Since 2021, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases reported monthly has been increasing, the DoH noted.
From an average of 1,027 monthly cases reported in 2021, it has increased to 1,502 cases per month in 2023.
However, during the first quarter of 2024, there was a notable decrease in the average monthly cases to 1,136.
Mode of transmission
Over the past five years, sexual contact remained the predominant mode of transmission among newly diagnosed cases.
However, a slight increase was observed in the number of diagnosed cases of acquiring HIV through mother-to-child transmission among children less than five years old, rising from 16 cases in 2018 to 29 cases in 2022, and reaching 43 newly reported cases in 2023.
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