HIV in PH growing at ‘fast and furious’ rate

THE Philippines has become the country with a galloping HIV infection rate. In fact, it has the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in Asia-Pacific. The prevalence and rate of transmission were described as “low and slow” from 1984 to 2004 and “hidden and growing” from 2005 to 2009.

But today, it is being described as “fast and furious.” From 2012 to 2023, there was a 411-percent increase in daily incidence based on “The State of the HIV Epidemic in the Philippines: Progress and Challenges in 2023” report. In 2022, the Department of Health reported a 21-percent increase in the number of new HIV cases compared to the previous year.

The most up-to-date HIV data available revealed that as of May 2023, there were 1,256 reported cases, with 1,186 (94 percent) being male. Around one-third (32 percent) of these cases involved young people from 15 to 24 years old. Of the 396 reported youth cases, 394 (99 percent) acquired HIV through sexual contact.

The main mode of transmission in this group was males who had sex with other males (MSM) for 89 percent of the cases. Eighty (20 percent) of the youth cases were reported to have advanced HIV infection at the time of diagnosis.

How can we prevent more HIV-AIDS infections in the Philippines? Preventing HIV/AIDS infections in the Philippines, like in any other country, requires a comprehensive and multifaceted approach that addresses various aspects of prevention, education, health care and social support. Here are some strategies that the Philippines can implement to mitigate this epidemic that is wasting away the lives of its young people.

One, increase public awareness about HIV-AIDS through comprehensive education campaigns that target all segments of the population. This includes promoting safe sex practices, understanding transmission routes, and reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV-AIDS.

Two, ensure widespread access to HIV testing and counseling services, including anonymous and voluntary testing. We applaud the Quezon City government and other local government units that now have HIV-AIDS testing centers in their towns and cities. We must encourage regular testing, especially for high-risk populations. There is a need to improve access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for those who test positive to suppress the virus and prevent transmission.

Three, implement programs for the widespread distribution of condoms, particularly targeting high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, and injecting drug users.

We need to promote consistent and correct condom use through educational campaigns.

Four, implement harm-reduction strategies such as needle-exchange programs to reduce the transmission of HIV among injecting drug users.

Five, make pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) readily available and accessible to individuals at high risk of HIV infection. This includes individuals in serodiscordant relationships (where one partner is HIV-positive and the other is HIV-negative) and individuals engaging in high-risk behaviors.

Six, implement targeted interventions tailored to the specific needs of key populations such as MSM, transgender individuals, sex workers and people who inject drugs. This may include community-based outreach, peer education programs and culturally sensitive health care services.

Seven, integrate HIV prevention, testing and treatment services into existing health care systems. This is to ensure that they are accessible to all individuals, especially in rural and underserved areas.

There is also a need to address legal and policy barriers that hinder access to HIV prevention and treatment services. These include laws criminalizing behavior associated with HIV transmission and discrimination against marginalized populations.

We must encourage healthy relationship behavior, including mutual respect, communication and negotiation skills, to empower people to make informed choices about their sexual health.

We must also support ongoing research and surveillance efforts to monitor the HIV epidemic, identify emerging trends, and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs.

The community is an important stakeholder in this fight. We must foster partnerships with community organizations, civil society groups and other stakeholders to actively engage affected communities in the design, implementation and evaluation of HIV prevention and treatment initiatives.

Lastly, we must address underlying socioeconomic factors such as poverty, gender inequality, and lack of access to education and health care, which can increase vulnerability to HIV infection.

The Catholic Church still stands in the way of free distribution of contraceptives to families. But there are ways to skirt this and manage our galloping HIV-AIDS rate infection.