The Philippines has recorded an average of 58 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases per day from April to June, according to the latest data from the Department of Health (DoH) Epidemiology Bureau.
From April to June, there were 5,321 confirmed HIV-positive individuals, of which 1,485 had advanced HIV infection at the time of diagnosis. This represents a significant 32 percent increase compared to last year's first-quarter average of 44 cases per day.
Of the newly reported confirmed HIV cases in the said period, 5,016 or 94 percent were males, while 305 or 6 percent were females. The age of the newly reported cases ranged from one year old to 79.
During the same period, 6,283 individuals were newly enrolled in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a 46 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Of the enrollees in the second quarter, 98 were less than 18 years old. More than half or 3,382 of the newly enrolled in PrEP were from the National Capital Region.
The DoH said that since 2021, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases reported monthly has been increasing. The average monthly cases were 1,027 in 2021, increased by 21 percent or 1,245 in 2022, and then rose by an additional 15 percent or 1,437 in 2023.
The agency also said that diagnosed HIV cases "are getting younger," with the predominant age group shifting from 25 to 49 years old in 2002 to 2005, to 25 to 34 years old starting in 2006.
Among age groups, the most significant increase in the proportion of cases over the last past years compared to the period from 1984 to 2018 was observed in individuals below 15 years old.
There are currently 204,630 people living with HIV (PLHIV) who know their status. Of the number, 127,217 cases have been diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed.
Further, 84,086 PLHIV are currently on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, 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."