THE Department of Health (DOH) has reported that a vast majority of new HIV cases in the Philippines are due to male-to-male sexual contact, with most of the patients belonging to the youth sector.
“About 95% of our new cases are from men having sex with men. It’s not from female sex workers. It’s from male-to-male sex,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a recent media interview.
Herbosa also said that most of these new HIV cases involve young Filipinos aged 15 to 25.
“If we fail to control this, my estimate is that by 2030, there will be 400,000 people living with HIV in the Philippines,” he warned.
Earlier, the health chief said new HIV cases in the country have surged by 500% since 2010, prompting him to recommend the declaration of a National Public Health Emergency.
