Rise in HIV-AIDS cases alarms Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday expressed alarm over the increasing number of cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection in the country despite the government’s campaign to combat the deadly disease.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government is “not lacking in the campaign against HIV.”

He cited the awareness campaign, including the promotion of safe sex, which he said has been vigorous.

“There are measures undertaken to ensure the prevention of HIV. Unfortunately, those who engage in certain activities, some of them don’t seem to follow… the safe way of doing it,” he added.

Lacierda also said the Department of Health (DOH) should have an explanation as to why the cases of HIV and AIDS spiked.

The DOH earlier reported that the country has 492 new cases of HIV and 40 of them have led to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as of November 2014.

The latest tally is 28 percent higher than the 384 cases reported in the same period the previous year.

The total number of HIV cases from 1984 to 2014 is 22,018 and 2,011 of these cases have progressed to AIDS.

In November 2014 alone, the DOH’s Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry said male cases recorded were 474 (96 percent), with a median age of 28 and age range of 17 to 68 years. The 20 to 29 year-old-age group has cornered 56 percent of the new cases.