Less than half of Filipinos living with HIV undergoing treatment — WHO report

Only less than half of Filipinos living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are undergoing treatment, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report.

While the estimated antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Western Pacific Region has increased tremendously from one percent in 2000 to 73 percent in 2022, this coverage is still slightly lower than the global estimate of 76 percent.

The WHO noted that the Philippines, alongside Fiji and Mongolia, had the lowest ART coverage in the Region in 2022.

Less than half of the population with HIV in the Philippines is currently receiving treatment, the organization added.

The WHO stressed that major progress needs to be made in several countries, including the Philippines, to meet the targets of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS.

The UNAIDS Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 has set "95-95-95" targets to be met by 2030, aiming for 95 percent of PLHIV to know their HIV status, 95 percent of people who know that they are living with HIV to be on life-saving ART, and 95 percent of people who are on treatment to be virally suppressed,

Previously, "90-90-90" targets were set to be met by 2020; however, Australia was the only country in the Western Pacific Region to meet all three 2020 targets.

Two out of three targets (ART coverage and viral suppression), were reached in Cambodia and New Zealand, while the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Vietnam only reached the target for the third "90" on viral suppression.

None of the targets, meanwhile, were met in the Philippines. Recent data also showed that the country has experienced the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific.

"Intensified efforts are needed in diagnosing HIV to ensure everyone with HIV knows their status," the WHO stated.

There are currently 204,630 PLHIV in the country who know their status. Of this number, 127,217 cases have been diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed.

Further, 84,086 PLHIV are currently on life-saving ART of which 37,539 PLHIV have been tested for viral load (VL) in the past 12 months.

Among those tested for VL, 32,801 are virally suppressed or "undetectable."

Sexual contact has consistently been the leading mode of HIV transmission. Of the 135,066 reported cases, 130,060 were acquired through sexual contact.

This includes 79,405 cases from the male-male sex, 31,971 from the male-male/female sex, and 18,679 from the male-female sex.

Other modes of transmission include the sharing of infected needles and transmission through blood/blood products, as well as needlestick injuries. Moreover, 1,838 cases have an unknown mode of transmission.

From January to August this year, 464 deaths among HIV cases have been recorded by the Department of Health.

The majority of deaths occurred among males aged 25 to 34 years, with more than half, or 53 percent, caused by complications from being immunocompromised or having advanced HIV disease.

The DOH estimates that by the end of 2024, there will be 215,400 PLHIV in the country.