According to Nearly half of new HIV cases in PH are teens | Inquirer News, as a result of a novel strain of the virus, the number of cases of HIV in the nation has virtually quadrupled this year, with over half of the cases involving teenagers, according to Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
Herbosa stated on November 14, using the most recent data, that the average number of new HIV cases each day increased from 22 to almost 50 last year.
According to Herbosa, 47% of those afflicted are younger, between the ages of 15 and 24.
Citing infectious diseases specialist Dr. Edsel Salvana, Herbosa told reporters that they are noticing an upsurge in cases because of a new subvariant that is extremely contagious. This has occurred previously as well. He stated that because they're focusing so much on COVID, they're only now noticing it.
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a team of researchers led by Chris Wymant discovered in 2022 that a novel HIV variant known as subtype B may result in a more severe infection and that people infected with this strain may have an average viral load that is roughly four times higher than usual.
On November 13, according to Nearly half of new HIV cases in PH are teens | Inquirer News,Herbosa said that he had met with Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also in charge of the Department of Education. During their conversation, they talked about a variety of issues, including the fast rising number of HIV infections and possible interventions related to health literacy.
According to Nearly half of new HIV cases in PH are teens | Inquirer News, Herbosa mentioned that they also addressed diet, mental health, substance misuse, and teen pregnancy as health concerns.
Since 1984, the Philippines has had one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics, according to UNAIDS.
Because of the significant increase in infections, according to Nearly half of new HIV cases in PH are teens | Inquirer News, the DOH declared the outbreak a national emergency in 2017.
