Male-to-male sex remained the dominant mode of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in the Philippines, data showed.
The Department of Health said 735 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases were recorded in October.
The Philippines ‘ October 2020 HIV/AIDS Registry showed the figure was lower than the 1,147 new cases recorded in October last year.
Sexual contact is still the predominant mode of transmission, with 725 (99%), of which 637 (88%) were thru male-to-male sex (MSM).
“Male-to-male sex accounted for 437 cases; followed by 200 of those having sex with both male and female; and 88 from male-to-female sex,” the report said.
Meanwhile, there was one case of mother-to-child HIV transmission, while nine cases had no data on how the incurable disease was transmitted.
The data also showed that 21 percent of the new cases in October had clinical manifestations of advanced HIV infection or acquired immunodeficiency deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
There were also 248 deaths from HIV/AIDS for October, DOH reported.
Of the 735 new cases of HIV, 40% (295) were from the National Capital Region (NCR); followed by Calabarzon (20%, 146); Central Luzon (16%, 121); Western Visayas (7%, 54); and SOCCSKSARGEN (5%, 36).
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Male-to-male sex remains dominant cause of HIV transmission in PH
From January to October of 2020, there were 6,362 new HIV cases, including 1,287 AIDS cases and 716 deaths.
Since 1984, there have been 81,169 HIV cases, with 10,552 AIDS cases and 4,444 deaths in the Philippines.
Earlier, UNICEF reported that a child or a young person below 20 years old every minute and 40 seconds acquire HIV in 2019, bringing the total number of children with HIV to 2.8 million.
“Prevention efforts and treatment for children remain some of the lowest amongst key affected populations. In 2019, a little more than half of the children worldwide had access to life-saving treatment, significantly lagging behind coverage for both mothers (85 percent) and all adults living with HIV (62 percent). Nearly 110,000 children died of AIDS that year,” the report said.
The pediatric antiretroviral treatment coverage is highest in the Middle East and North Africa, at 81 percent, followed by South Asia (76 percent), Eastern and Southern Africa (58 percent), East Asia and the Pacific (50 percent), Latin America and the Caribbean (46 percent) and West and Central Africa (32 percent).