DOH logs over 5K new cases of HIV

The Department of Health (DOH) logged over 5,000 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) this year.

A total of 5,101 cases have been reported by the DOH from January to March.

This is 50 percent higher than the cases recorded in the same quarter last year.

Further, of the recorded cases for this quarter, 1,122 or 22 percent had an advanced HIV infection.

Of the newly reported confirmed HIV cases during this period, 95 percent were males while five percent were females.

Meanwhile, the ages of the newly logged cases ranged from one to 81 years old.

The regions with the highest reporting of newly diagnosed cases were the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Davao, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas, accounting for 69 percent of the total cases.

The DOH estimates that there will be 252,800 people living with HIV in the country by the end of 2025.