Health Advocates Raise Concern Over Rising Number of HIV/AIDS Cases Among the Youth

The cases of HIV/ADS in the Philippines continue to rise, with younger individuals getting diagnosed with the condition. “The increase in HIV/AIDS among the youth is really alarming,” said Chi Vallido, Director for Programs and Advocacy of The Forum for Family Planning and Development (The Forum).

According to the latest report of HIV/AIDS & Art Registry of the Philippines (HARP), in January this year, there were 1,249 new HIV-positive cases in the country, with most cases coming from the National Capital Region (NCR). Over a third of the cases—395—involve individuals aged 15 to 24 years old.

The Forum is a non-government organization advocating for the full implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPPH) Act of 2012. It reaches out to communities and partners with local government units (LGUs) to promote reproductive health education and family planning.

Majority of the cases reported by HARP were transmitted through males who have sex with males (62%), followed by males having sex with males and females (25%). The remaining cases come from male-female sex, mother-child, and sharing of infected needles.

Vallido stressed that the increase in HIV/AIDS among the young is due to inadequate reproductive health education. “The youth, especially adolescents, lack enough education on reproductive health. Most of them are unaware of HIV/AIDS and how it is transmitted,” she said.

The HARP report reflects the latest National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), carried out in in 2017, which found out that only one in five women aged 15 to 24 years old has comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. The NDHS, which had about 5,000 respondents, also revealed that only around 31% of women aged 15 to 19 years old knew where to get HIV testing. Moreover, NDHS revealed that less than 1% of 15-19 years old women have undergone an HIV test.

To address this situation, The Forum partnered with the Department of Education in Cebu to conduct training workshops for teachers to develop appropriate reproductive health education for their adolescent students. The sessions focus on teaching sexuality, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health related issues faced by young people. The Forum also supports Puerto Princesa, Albay, Ifugao, and Benguet in their efforts to strengthen their health programs on HIV/AIDS together with Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).

“This rapid increase of HIV/AIDS cases can be controlled if LGUs become more active in their HIV/AIDS health programs,” said Louie Ocampo, UNAIDS Country Director.

Ocampo noted that testing is very crucial since this is the entry point of patients to HIV services. Since most LGUs do not have accessible testing clinics, confirming the results are delayed and patients are not immediately linked to care.

Having timely access to treatment and medication can make the virus un-transmittable, and prolong the patient’s life, noted Ocampo. “Community-based screenings should become more accessible to people, especially in rural areas. There should also be more community health outreach workers that can provide these services to more people,” he added.

The Forum’s Vallido further underscored the importance of attending to the sexual health of the youth at the local level. “We must give greater attention to the youth, so that we can reverse the upward trend in HIV/AIDS cases. Especially through LGU-based programs, we need to be able to provide for the sexual health needs of young adults, so that they are empowered to make informed decisions for themselves.”