Over 4,000 new AIDS Cases Reported In PH

Over 4,000 new HIV/AIDS cases reported in Philippines

As nations mark the 25th anniversary of World Aids Day on Sunday, Dec. 1, the Department of Health (DOH) has revealed that in October, the country recorded 491 new cases of HIV infection, the highest number of cases ever recorded in a month in the country. That brings the number of HIV cases reported since January this year to 4,072.

This is why Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat is calling on Congress to amend the HIV/AIDS Law to enable the government to effectively address the rising incidence of HIV infections. He pointed out that the country needs a stronger law that provides more resources to prevent HIV infections, as well as an AIDS epidemic.

Data from the United Nations likewise show that the Philippines is among three countries—the other two being Indonesia and Pakistan—where the number of new infections among adults and children have been increasing since 2001.

“We want zero (or no) new HIV infections because it is getting to that level of pre-epidemic proportions. We need a stronger law that provides more resources to prevent HIV infections as well as help those (who are already infected,” Baguilat said in a statement.

Baguilat says that the new law should back an intensive information and education campaign to educate the public about HIV and AIDS. It should also address the discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS in schools and in places of work.

Statistics from the Department of Health