HIV/AIDS cases nearing 5,000 mark

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipinos with HIV/AIDS for this year is nearing the 5,000 mark as the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 384 new cases in November alone.

Data from the Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry showed that 4,456 cases were posted from January to November this year, with 153 deaths.

Sexual contact remains the primary mode of transmission with 379 cases, while needle sharing among injecting drug users accounted for five cases.

The DOH noted that males having sex with other males (MSM) are the predominant type of sexual transmission, accounting for 83 percent of the cases.

The registry said that 35 of the 384 cases recorded in November were full blown AIDS.

Majority of the cases came from Metro Manila with 43 percent, followed by Calabarzon with 17 percent; Central Luzon and Davao with nine percent each and Western Visayas with five percent.

Of the 4,456 cases, 4,222 of them got infected through sexual contact, followed by needle sharing among injecting drug users at 231 and mother-to-child transmission at three.

The DOH said that of the 16,158 cases since 1984, 307 have progressed into AIDS while 861 have died.