HIV testing now takes just one day, says DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on Monday, 7 July, that confirmatory testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is now faster and more accessible across the country.

Previously, patients waited between seven days to three weeks to receive their confirmatory results. Now, the turnaround time has been shortened to just one day.

According to the DOH, 168 laboratories designated as rHIVda (HIV Drug Resistance and Viral Load Testing Laboratories) are now capable of providing confirmatory tests. These tests are required for individuals who yield a reactive result in the initial HIV screening.

As of July, a total of 299 HIV care facilities nationwide offer antiretroviral therapy and other comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, and care services.

Despite these improvements, the Philippines remains the country with the highest number of newly reported HIV cases in the Western Pacific Region, according to the latest DOH data. From January to March 2025 alone, 57 new diagnoses were recorded.

Alarmingly, the country also saw a 500-percent increase in HIV cases among individuals aged 15 to 25.

In response to the growing crisis, the DOH urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in June to declare HIV a national public health emergency, warning that the country could see over 400,000 HIV cases by the end of 2025. As of 2024, more than 215,000 Filipinos were living with HIV.