DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 December) – Health authorities here recorded a total of 323 new cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in this city from January to July 2023.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao released on Monday showed the new cases brought the total number of persons with AIDS in the city to 4,606, with 229 deaths since 1993.
Out of the total, 4,355 were males and 251 were females.
For January to September 2022, 396 AIDS cases were recorded in the city.
During the Kapehan sa Dabaw on Monday, Maria Teresa C. Requillo, HIV/AIDS Regional Program coordinator of DOH-Davao, said that AIDS cases are common among males because of the “men having sex with men” preference.
She said they also reported new AIDS cases from among bisexuals or men having sex with both males and females, and transmission of infection from pregnant mothers to their infants.
Requillo said the cases of HIV/AIDS in the city are increasing as more people get themselves tested for the infection with the availability of more government-run testing facilities that offer free services.
She noted they were expecting the cases to remain high in the locality “as it is a populated and highly urbanized city.”
Requillos said the cases are increasing due to high-risk sexual behaviors, prostitution due to poverty, and the accessibility of mobile dating applications.
Based on the data, HIV/AIDS cases are highest among patients aged 25 to 34 with 2,205; 15 to 24 years old with 1,707; 35 to 49 years old with 580; 50 years old and older with 99; and those aged below 15 years old, 15.
Nemfa C. Adorable, of the HIV/AIDS Core Team of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), said they have 13 patients who acquired the infection through “mother to child transmission.”
She said the youngest HIV-positive patient of the hospital is a one-year-old child.
Arnie Villanueva, also a member of the SPMC HIV/AIDS Core Team, said that it is possible to prevent transmission of the infection from pregnant mothers to their infants if it is managed well. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)