The number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in Cebu has increased by 300 percent over the past five years, with a particularly sharp rise among young people, officials from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) disclosed Monday.

Dr. Kathleen Joyce del Carmen, a pediatrician and a member of the HIV/AIDS Core Team at VSMMC’s Kaambag Clinic, noted that while most diagnosed cases are generally among those aged 15 to 34, the data shows an even more significant increase among the youth.

“When we look at the most recent data, there is a much more significant increase among our youth, both below 15 years old and the 15-24 years old age groups with more than 300 percent increase within the past five years,” Del Carmen said.

“Most of our newly diagnosed patients are between 15 and 34 years old. This tells us that our youth are getting infected younger and faster,” she added.

The disclosure comes after the Department of Health officially declared HIV a public health emergency earlier this year, citing a 500 percent increase in infections and AIDS-related deaths nationwide over the past decade. In 2023 alone, the country reported 26,700 new infections, averaging 50 cases daily.

As of June 2025, the Philippines has recorded 153,798 HIV cases. The Central Visayas region ranks among the top five regions with 11,347 diagnosed cases.

At the Kaambag Clinic, the DoH-accredited confirmatory testing center for the entire Visayas, 1,210 individuals were tested from January to September 2025. Of those tested, 31 were positive and immediately referred for treatment.