About 47 percent of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in 2024 were from young key populations aged 15 to 24.
This was revealed by Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo on Tuesday during a Senate hearing on Senate Bill 1979, or the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill.
"Ang atin pong mga kabataan na maagang makipagtalik ay mas mataas ang risky behavior at mas nahihirapan na kumuha ng mga HIV-related services (Our young people who have sex early have higher risky behavior and have more difficulty accessing HIV-related services)," Domingo said.
"Makikita po sa datos natin na on average, yung ating pong mga young key populations for HIV, sila po ay nakipagtalik nung sila ay 16 years old (You can see from our data that on average, our young key populations for HIV had sex when they were 16 years old)," he added.
On average, Domingo noted that young people are using condoms for the first time at 17 years old.
Domingo said SB 1979 is vital in addressing the HIV epidemic in the country, as it also addresses other health conditions, including HIV.
The Philippines is recognized as one of the countries with the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in Asia.
An Australian Broadcasting Corporation report last year pointed out that in 2012, there were only about nine new HIV cases logged daily in the Philippines. That number rose to 46 in 2023 — a 411 percent increase in a little over a decade.
The report also noted that young people are driving the surge in HIV cases in the Philippines, with people under 35 accounting for over 75 percent of reported cases, and sexual contact consistently being the leading mode of transmission.
Other modes of transmission include sharing infected needles and transmission through blood/blood products with needle-stick injuries.
By the end of 2024, the DOH estimates the number of Filipinos living with HIV to be 215,400.