The Department of Health (DoH) over the weekend reminded the public that practicing safe sex, such as using condoms and consistently using oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), reduces the risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

PrEP is a medicine individuals at risk for HIV take to prevent contracting HIV from sex or injection drug use.

According to HIV.gov, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent when taken as prescribed.

During the commemoration of World AIDS Day on Sunday, 1 December, DoH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa underscored that "early detection is key to managing the virus and improving health outcomes."

“Practice safe sex, regularly undergo HIV testing, and encourage all your peers to do the same. It is only through collective action that we will be able to end the HIV epidemic in the country," Herbosa said.

"We must all work together to ensure that those who need it most–especially our [people living with] HIV and other key populations–can access our HIV services without difficulty or stigma," he added.

The Philippines is recognized as one of the countries with the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in Asia.

Meanwhile, in response to the rising cases of HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the Philippines, the DoH recently collaborated with the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) to officially launch the "Undetectable = Untransmittable" campaign to fight HIV/AIDS stigma and effectively raise awareness about prevention, testing, and treatment.

This intensified campaign aims to address the latest Philippine HIV estimates, which show that by the end of 2024, the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the country is estimated to hit 215,400.

Of the estimated PLHIV, 131,335, or 61 percent of cases, have been diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed and are currently living or not reported to have died as of September 2024.

Further, 88,544 (67 percent) PLHIV are currently on life-saving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), of which 39,003 (44 percent) PLHIV have been tested for viral load (VL) in the past 12 months.

Among those tested for VL, 34,252 (88 percent) achieved viral suppression, meaning the virus was effectively controlled in their bodies and became undetectable.

Moreover, 132,776 cases, comprising 94 percent of the total, were males, while 7,876 cases, or 6 percent, were females.

By age group, 471 cases (<1 percent) were below 15 years old, 41,219 cases (30 percent) were among youth aged 15-24 years old, 69,808 cases (50 percent) were 25-34 years old, 24,478 cases (18 percent) were 35-49 years old, and 3,610 cases (3 percent) were 50 years and older.

Sexual contact has consistently been the leading mode of HIV transmission. Of the 135,066 reported cases, 130,060 were acquired through sexual contact, including 79,405 cases from male-male sex, 31,971 from male-male/female sex, and 18,679 from male-female sex.

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

Based on the AIDS Epidemic Model estimates, if prevention and interventions do not scale up, the number of PLHIV could reach approximately 448,000 by 2030.

“We need to work together to intensify and scale up our HIV response to stop this epidemic. Guided by the 8-Point Action Agenda for HIV and AIDS, we must commit to a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach in achieving our goals of ending the epidemic," PNAC Executive Director Dr. Joselito R. Feliciano said.

"We should strive to work through multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary processes, exploring innovative strategies and interventions that would be most impactful in addressing our country’s HIV challenges,” Feliciano added.