THE Department of Health (DOH) reported that from January to August this year, 464 deaths among HIV cases have been recorded, of which 28 occurred in the month of August alone.
This October, the DOH said, a person living with HIV passed in Cagayan Valley, six years after being diagnosed.
At the time of passing, the patient had several medical conditions related to a very high HIV viral load and resistance to ARV. ARV intake and treatment follow-up was not continuous.
The patient was admitted to hospital last September 9 as a confirmed case of mpox. However, it was not mpox that caused his demise.
Recent data shows that the Philippines has experienced the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific.
In 2023, there were 48 newly diagnosed daily, a significant increase from just 13 daily cases in 2013, as reported by the HIV/AIDS and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Registry of the Philippines (HARP).
This number went to as high as 58 per day in the second quarter of 2024. Furthermore, diagnosed HIV cases are getting younger, with the predominant age group shifting from among 35-49 years old in 2002 to 2005, to 25-34 years old starting 2006 onwards.
During the 16th Plenary Meeting of the Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) on October 11, the DOH called attention to the increasing number of newly-diagnosed Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) cases in the country.
“To prevent HIV/AIDS, we must get tested early as this helps avoid late-stage disease that can kill. Then, people living with HIV who stay on treatment can and do live happy and healthy lives,” said Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa.
As of August 2024, there have been 40,934 reported cases, representing 30 percent of all cumulative cases since 1984, indicating late detection and posing severe health risks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines advanced HIV disease (AHD) as “CD4 cell count < 200 cells/mm3 or WHO stage 3 or 4 in adults and adolescents. All children younger than five years of age are considered to have advanced HIV disease. This includes both individuals presenting to care who are antiretroviral therapy (ART) naive, and those returning to care after interrupted treatment.” The global health authority notes that “people with AHD are at high risk of death, even after starting ART; this risk increases with decreasing CD4 cell count.
Tuberculosis
The most common causes of severe illness and death are tuberculosis, severe bacterial infections and cryptococcal meningitis.”
Late diagnosis has contributed to a rise in the number of recorded HIV deaths, totaling 8,246 deaths cumulatively since 1984.
Annual fatalities are continuously increasing from less than 100 before 2011, to more than 400 by 2015 and reaching 879 in 2022.
The majority of these deaths occurred among males aged 25-34 years, with more than half (53 percent) being caused by complications from being immunocompromised or having AHD.
“Finally, we must always strengthen partnerships with local governments, health workers, and community leaders working together to enhance HIV services, reduce stigma, and provide support for people living with HIV. Younger people are now more at risk, so parents must engage their children more on this health concern,” the health chief added.
Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco is a grant recipient and fellow of 2017 media fellowship program by Probe Media Foundation Inc. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Mass Communication from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). After graduating in 2000 she immediately worked as a newspaper correspondent for Today Newspaper until 2005. Within those five years in Today Newspaper, she was assigned to cover the Eastern Police and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Rizal Province, and the Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Tourism (DOT). In October of 2005, she became a correspondent for the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc. She covers Health, Education, MMDA, the local government units in the eastern and southern portions of the metropolis, and Rizal Province.
