DOH records nearly 2,000 new HIV cases as March 2023

However, the DOH stated that the 770 cases reported this month were supposed to be confirmed from previous months.

The bulk of newly confirmed HIV cases, 95 percent (1,981), were male, while 5 percent (97) were female.

The 25-34 age group had the highest HIV infections with 1,006, followed by the 15-24 age group with 635, the 35-49 age group with 383, and the 50+ age group with 46.

According to the report, 8 children were infected with HIV through mother-to-child transmission, and 10 HIV-positive women were pregnant at the time of diagnosis.

Sexual contact was still the leading mode of HIV transmission in March, accounting for 2,025 infections (97 percent).

For this reporting period, 19 instances were caused by the sharing of infected needles, while others had no data on the mode of transmission.

The HARP data also revealed that Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas accounted for more over half of the newly reported cases (1,195).

In March, there were 57 reported fatalities among HIV-positive people from any cause.

There have been 114,008 confirmed HIV cases in the Philippines since the first recorded incidence in 1984.