The HIV Epidemic and the Unclear Strategy

Commentaries on the Philippine Response to the HIV Epidemic

Short Commentaries Number 1 - The Epidemic and the Unclear Strategy

In 2001, an HIV case is reported every 2 days. In the 10 HIV surveillance sites, few cases are found among female sex workers and hardly any case was reported the men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.

By 2011, 6 cases are reported daily in the AIDS Registry. HIV prevalence in few sites have ballooned several times. HIV prevalence among PWID reached 53% in one site, among MSM reached more than 3% in at least 5 sites, and new sites have seen new cases among sex workers.

Clearly, prevention interventions did not work. If there were, either quality or magnitude of reach is not enough!

Hey!

Increasing HIV cases among young males

A friend who is a Pulmonogist expressed his deep concern yesterday about the alarmingly increasing number of HIV cases in their hospital (a Manila-based University Hospital). In just one month, 3 symptomatic clients tested positive for HIV (now currently on confirmatory test). In the past year, they have seen 11 confirmed cases already. Most of them, under 30 years old. In the past years, they never see HIV positive cases, or at most 1 or 2 in a year.

The HIV registry seems to confirm this observation. As of May 2008, the monthly average of reported cases rose to 41, from below 30 in the last 2 years (2006-2007), from even very low level of 16 per month from 2001-2005. The steep increases were seen among those below 35 years old males mostly on homosexual and bisexual transmission.

This is truly a reflection of a poor (or absent) prevention programs among our youth in the last 10 years.

What do you think is the best we can do ASAP?