Almost 400 new HIV cases found in January

HEALTH authorities said Friday that close to 400 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been monitored in the country in January this year.

Based on the January 2013 Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry report, it recorded 380 new HIV cases in just the first month of the year.

"This was 79 percent higher compared to the same period last year at 212," said the report of the Department of Health–National Epidemiology Center.

Of the 380 new HIV cases, 25 have been found to have progressed into full-blown acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (Aids).

A large part of the cases were still acquired through sexual contact with 376, with 307 cases coming from the males-having-sex-with male (MSM) accounting for 82 percent.

Homosexual contact resulted to 189 new cases followed by bisexual contact with 118 and heterosexual contact with 69.

The other four new cases were found to have come from injecting drug use or needle sharing.

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were also found to have contributed 37 new HIV cases with all but one coming from sexual contact. The other case came from injecting drug use.

The report showed that there were nine from heterosexual contact, 10 homosexual, and 17 bisexual, where OFWs acquired HIV.

Since 1984, there have been 12,082 HIV cases in the country with Aids cases already numbering to 1,194. (HDT/Sunnex)