Philippine HIV Cases Double Over Three Years

In just three years, the number of Filipinos living with HIV has risen from about 6,000 in 2002 to 11,168, according to new Health Department estimates released Tuesday. The widespread practice of unprotected sex, and the many infected, sexually active persons who are unaware of their HIV-positive status, make the nation especially vulnerable, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

Men who have sex with men, female sex workers, their male clients, and injection drug users (IDUs) are groups most at risk for infection, said Duque. Nevertheless, the department estimates just 2,942 HIV cases fall into these transmission categories, said Enrique Tayag, department epidemiologist.

"A significant change in this estimation is that 8,000 of these HIV-positives are now found in the general population," said Duque. "This means that current interventions miss a hidden population that would benefit and thus avert a major catastrophe."

The survey found that 1 percent of IDUs in Cebu, the nation's second-most populous city, are HIV-positive, said Duque. Both Duque and John Marc Olive, World Health Organization country representative, emphasized this represents a "red flag" for the Philippines. Unchecked, the nation's epidemic could easily mirror Thailand's, Duque said. He added that many IDUs practice unsafe sex, have multiple partners, and share needles.

Duque said the nation has allocated 20 million pesos ($383,000 US) for antiretroviral therapy. He also urged the Catholic Church to allow the government to promote condom use among the faithful in the largely Catholic nation. "It's a dilemma for the [health department] to have to manage opposition from the [Roman] Catholic Church because it views condoms also as a family planning method and not just a tool against HIV/AIDS," he said.

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