Philippines face brutal increase in HIV cases

Philippines’ health authorities warned on Tuesday, 3, to declare a state of sanitary emergency at the national level, given the accelerated growth of HIV infections in the country.

According to the Health Department, the daily average of new diagnostics reached 57 in the first three months of 2025, which represents a 500% increase over the same period of the previous year.

In a video released to the press, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said the situation puts the Philippines as the country with the largest number of new cases in the Western Pacific region.

“Now we have the largest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,” said Herbosa.

The secretary also pointed out that most new infections occur among male young people. “What is scary is that our young people represent many of the new cases,” he said.

The Department of Health reported that 95% of the new diagnoses recorded by March were men. The highest incidence is concentrated in age groups of 15 to 24 years (33%) and 25 to 34 years (47%). Given these numbers, Herbosa defended a broad mobilization of government and society to contain the spread of the virus.

“It would be of our interest [declarar] A public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV, to mobilize the whole society, the entire government, to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new cases of HIV, ”he said.

According to the Philippine legislation, the President of the Republic may decree a state of health emergency when an epidemic poses a risk to national security. The last time the measure was adopted occurred in 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the severity of the scenario, the government has not yet presented an official explanation of the causes of the recent increase. The discharge in records compromises the fulfillment of the goals set by the United Nations Global Campaign to eradicate the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

The report also indicates that only 55% of people living with HIV in the country have been diagnosed so far. Among those diagnosed, 66% are currently in treatment with antiretrovirals.

Since 2007, the main mode of transmission of HIV in the Philippines has been by sexual contact, with emphasis on relations between men. This modality is responsible for most cases documented in recent years, according to official data.

The high trend in the records began in 2021 and remained over 2022, 2023 and 2024. The government’s projection is that about 252,800 people are living with HIV in the country by the end of 2025.

The report released on Tuesday reinforces the concern with the response capacity of the Philippine Health System at the climb of infections.

Experts heard by local authorities state that without immediate intervention, the number of cases may further compromise prevention, diagnosis and treatment goals by international organizations.

Although the government still evaluates the formalization of the state of emergency, the secretary of health’s speech suggests a willingness to intensify actions in the coming months.

The possible decree of the measure would enable the release of additional resources and the articulation between different public agencies, nationwide and local.

The HIV campaign in the Philippines faces logistics and cultural challenges, with difficulties in accessing early diagnosis and the maintenance of therapy.

The rate of adherence to antiretroviral treatment remains below the standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which guides that at least 90% of diagnosed are under treatment.

The Health Department said it intends to reinforce testing strategies and expand the supply of medicines in basic units and specialized centers. Actions focused on sex education and prevention in schools, universities and communities of greater social vulnerability are also foreseen.

The increase in infections between young men also led to questions about the effectiveness of public policies aimed at prevention. Civil society organizations claim more comprehensive campaigns and specific health policies for populations at greater risk of exposure to the virus.

According to the government, the evaluation of the eventual decree of the state of health emergency should be completed in the coming weeks. The measure, if adopted, will be accompanied by a national HIV response plan, with specific goals to reduce the number of new cases and expand access to diagnosis and treatment.

The situation in the Philippines is monitored by international entities, which accompany the evolution of the indicators and collaborate with technical and operational actions in the country. The Ministry of Health has said it will continue to disclose periodic updates on the advancement of the epidemic and the measures adopted to address the disease.