DOH: HIV cases to hit 215,400
Credit to Author: Mayen Jaymalin| Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines — By the end of the year, the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) nationwide is estimated to reach 215,400.
The Department of Health (DOH) said that of the estimated PLHIV, 61 percent or 131,335 cases have been diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed and are currently living or not reported to have died, as of September 2024.
The DOH further reported that 88,544 PLHIV are currently on life-saving antiretroviral therapy, of whom 39,003 have been tested for viral load (VL) in the past 12 months.
Among those tested for VL, 34,252 achieved viral suppression, which means that the virus was effectively controlled in their bodies as to be undetectable.
The majority or 132,776 of the PLHIV are males while 7,876 cases are females.
Thirty percent or 41,219 of the cases belong to the 15-to-24-year age group, while 69,808 are 25 to 34 years. Around 471 cases are younger than 15 years while 3,610 are 50 years and older.
If prevention and interventions won’t be scaled up, it is estimated that the number of PLHIV could reach approximately 448,000 by 2030.
In observance of World AIDS Day yesterday, the DOH and the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) officially launched the “Undetectable = Untransmittable Campaign” to fight HIV/AIDS stigma, and effectively raise awareness about prevention, testing and treatment.
“We need to work together to intensify and scale up our HIV response to stop this epidemic,” PNAC executive director Dr. Joselito Feliciano said.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said early detection is key to managing the virus and improving health outcomes.
“It is only through collective action that we will be able to end the HIV epidemic in the country. We must all work together to ensure that those who need it most – especially our PLHIVs and other key populations – can access our HIV services without difficulty or stigma,” Herbosa said.