DOH releases new list of HIV treatment hubs

MANILA, Philippines — Cases of HIV/AIDS in the Philippines continued to grow in the past decade. The Department of Health (DOH) recorded early this year a total of 804 new cases of HIV/AIDS infections, the highest since 1984, where cases where first recorded.

Specific risk behaviors such as unprotected male-to-male sex, transactional sex and syringe sharing of drug users are among the top causes of the infection. The lack of information on how to get tested and lack of testing sites have also contributed to persistent cases of the infection.

The United Nations Joint Venture on AIDS warned that if the Philippines is not be able to address the problem on time, the country might experience a full-blown AIDS epidemic.

In lieu with this, the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines has released their updated list of treatment hubs and facilities for HIV/AIDS in the Philippines. — Alixandra Caole Vila