Health officials raise alarm, want situation declared a 'national emergency'

  MANILA – Department of Health (DOH) officials have revealed that the Philippines has the "fastest growing" HIV epidemic in the Asia Pacific region. Citing the latest data from the UNAIDS report on global HIV epidemic states, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said new HIV cases in the Philippines have more than doubled in number – from 4,300 in 2010 to 10,500 last year. Ubial said in a press conference on Tuesday: "The Philippines has become the country with the fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific, and has become one of eight countries that account for more than 85 percent of new HIV infections in the region." Most of the new infections occur in 117 "high-burden" areas in the country, she also said. According to the Philippines' HIV and AIDS Registry, there are now 44,010 HIV cases in the country, half of which (20,420) are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), with 2,156 deaths. ART involves combinations of two or more drugs taken orally to stop the multiplication of HIV and reduce the amount of the virus in the body. The number of new HIV cases last May reached 1,098 – the highest number ever recorded for a month since the recording of HIV cases started in the Philippines in 1984. From January to June 2017, there were 4,388 new HIV cases. Ubial said 85 percent of the new HIV cases among Filipinos are among men who have sex with men or MSMs. Genesis Samonte, who heads the DOH's Public Health Surveillance department, however clarified in a Rappler interview that the new HIV cases do not only involve gay men. "Now let me clarify: We're not talking about those that are openly gay. What we're saying is any male who has sex with another male for whatever reason, is at risk for getting HIV based on our data." She said further that risky sexual behavior among MSMs occur at a very young age – 16, adding that most of them only get tested for HIV at 22 years old, which Samonte described as "problematic" because latency in HIV can last for 10 years. "It's very possible that the person can only have a few more years left to live if he or she doesn't get access to treatment." Ubial and Samonte pushed for HIV testing saying it is crucial. Samonte however said HIV testing "is not the end goal". "HIV testing is only a bridge to life-saving treatment. The issue is that so many people are getting tested but don't get treatment." Ubial, for her part, said the stigma remains as an obstacle to getting tested. "We believe stigma plays a role in the low, shall we say, acceptance to testing and getting treated. Because I think there's still a lot of fear and also, shall we say, denial among certain population groups that they will not be infected," she said. Ubial also said the youth may be ashamed to inform their parents or relatives that they want to go to a testing center, or vice versa. In order to stop the increase in the number of new HIV cases, the DOH will embark on a more aggressive HIV information campaign aside from push for abstinence from sex or delaying any sexual encounter, and the use of condoms by sexually active individuals. Meanwhile, Dr. Rossana Ditangco, head of the AIDS Research Group at the Reseach Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM), told Rappler it's time to raise the alarm and do an aggressive campaign. RITM is the Philippines' biggest HIV treatment facility. Based on the government's projections, more than 90% of Filipinos with HIV will continue to be in the youth group aged 30 and below in less than 10 years. "I don't have high hopes anymore. We can't control the rapid rise of HIV infection. It is time the government has to treat HIV as a national emergency," Ditangco said. Ditangco pushed for a "treat all" policy by the government whereby individuals who test positive for HIV are given medication immediately, regardless of their infection stage to prolong their life and stop the transmission of the virus to non-infected people. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued the "treat all" policy in its guidelines issued last year. The policy recommends treating all HIV-infected persons with antiretroviral drugs straightaway, omitting other tests that indicate their other health determinants. Ditangco said a person who undergoes ART immediately after a positive test will have high chances of not having Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by HIV. She explained that HIV kills the CD4 cells that play an important role in the immune system. When HIV attacks the body, the number of CD4 cells declines. A healthy person's normal CD4 range is 500 to 1,500 cells per cubic millimeter of blood. When the level drops to 200 cells/mm3 and below, a person has Stage 3 HIV infection or AIDS. 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