DOH seeks national public health emergency for HIV

Metro Manila, Philippines - Health Secretary Ted Herbosa is calling on the president to declare a state of public health emergency on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), explaining the country posted the highest number of new cases in the Western Pacific region.

In its data released Tuesday, June 3, the Department of Health (DOH) said it listed 57 newly diagnosed cases of HIV per day from January to March.

“Ang maganda magkaroon tayo ng national emergency for HIV dahil magtutulong-tulong ang buong lipunan,” Herbosa said in a video. “The whole of society and the whole of government can help us in this campaign na mapababa ‘yong new cases of HIV.”

[Translation: It’s better that we have a national emergency for HIV because sectors in the society will help one another. The whole of society and the whole of government can help us in this campaign to lower the number of new cases of HIV.]

The DOH said there was an over 500 percent increase in newly diagnosed cases of HIV from 2010 to 2024.

“Kapag hindi natin napigilan ang pagdami ng HIV, aabot tayo sa lampas 400,000 people living with HIV,” Herbosa warned.

[Translation: If we cannot stop the spread of HIV, we could have over 400,000 people living with HIV.]

He sounded the alarm that many of the new HIV cases came from the youth.

In January to March, the DOH said there were 1,686 newly confirmed HIV cases from the 15-24-year-old group, while 2,380 cases from the 25-34-year-old group.

“Kasama sa international engagements ni Secretary Teodoro Herbosa ang pagiging miyembro ng UNAIDS Board para ma-secure ang international support and resources,” Health spokesperson Albert Domingo told reporters in a message.

“Kasama na rin ang local budgets and PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.), paiigtingin ng DOH ang stigma-free primary care HIV screening, testing, and maintenance treatment,” he said.

[Translation: Among the international engagements of Herbosa is being a member of the UNAIDS Board to secure international support and resources. The DOH will strengthen stigma-free primary care HIV screening, testing, and maintenance treatment, which are measures included in the local budgets and PhilHealth.]

As of April, the DOH said there were a total of 150,433 HIV cases reported since 1984.

In 2023 and 2024, newly diagnosed infections topped 17,000.

Around 80 percent of the cumulative count were among those below 35 years old, the agency said.

The DOH noted that the predominant age group shifted from among 35-49 year olds in 2002 to 2005, to 25-34 year olds from 2006 onwards.

Herbosa said there’s a need to increase testing, prevention, and treatment to reduce viral load, or the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood.

He said self-test kits are available in HIV care facilities in the country.

He also advised the public to do the combination prevention method, or the use of condom, lubricants and pre-exposure prophylaxis. The public should also practice seeking consultation and take antiretroviral therapy as needed.