DoH: Philippines HIV cases to increase

Cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the country are likely to increase by five-fold or at an average of 45,000 by 2015, a government official said Thursday.

Dr. Eric Tayag, newly designated Assistant secretary of the Department of Health (DoH) and National Epidemiology Center (NEC) Director, based the figures on the escalating number of HIV infections in the country now numbering at 6,498, the latest National AIDS registry said covering the years 1984 to 2011.

Males having sex with Males (MSM) have completely overtaken the female sex workers as the Most-At-Risk Population (MARP) as reflected in the registry showing an 80 percent rate in the most predominant type of sexual transmission.

For two decades, beginning 1984, HIV was mostly seen among FSWs until the ‘shift’ began in 2007.

“The shift began in 2007. It was a complete flip wherein we saw more males having sex with males driving the HIV epidemic in the country,” Tayag said in his presentation during the HIV/AIDS seminar sponsored by the AIDS Society of the Philippines.

There is even more HIV prevalence among MSMs than the Registered Female Sex workers (RFSW) and Freelance Female Sex Workers (FFSW) combined, he said.

By JENNY F. MANONGDO