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DOH records over 2,000 new HIV cases in March

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt=" The Quezon City government conducts free HIV testing as part of its HIV awareness and prevention campaign on Sept. 13, 2019.  Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/05/10/20190913-free-hiv-test-jc-10.jpg"/><figcaption>The Quezon City government conducts free HIV testing as part of its HIV awareness and prevention campaign on Sept. 13, 2019. <em> Jire Carreon, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA (UPDATE) — The Department of Health has recorded 2,079 new HIV cases in March, up 35 percent from the same period last year.</p><p><a href="https://doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/statistics/EB_HARP_March_AIDSreg2023_0.pdf">Based on the HIV/AIDS &amp; Registry of the Philippines</a>, the daily average number of people diagnosed with HIV in March is 54.</p><p>The DOH however noted that some 770 cases reported this month were supposed to be confirmed from the previous months.</p><p>Of the newly diagnosed HIV cases, majority or 95 percent (1,981) were male while 5 percent (97) were female.</p><p>Among age groups, the 25-34 years old recorded the most number of HIV infections with 1,006, followed by the youth aged 15-24 with 635, 35-49 years old with 383 and 50 years and older with 46.</p><p>The report also showed that 8 children acquired HIV through mother-to-child transmission and 10 HIV-positive women were pregnant at the time of diagnosis.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/02/21/23/third-person-cured-of-hiv-after-stem-cell-transplant-study">Third person cured of HIV after stem cell transplant: study</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/23/23/hindi-parusa-ng-diyos-doh-wants-end-to-hiv-stigma">‘Hindi parusa ng Diyos’: DOH exec wants stigma vs HIV eradicated</a></li></ul><p>In March, sexual contact is still the leading mode of transmission of HIV, representing 2,025 cases or 97 percent.</p><p>Some 19 cases were due to sharing of infected needles while others had no data on the mode of transmission for this reporting period.</p><p>The HARP data also revealed that more than half or 1,195 of the newly reported cases were from Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Central Visayas.</p><p>In March, there were 57 reported deaths due to any cause among people with HIV.</p><p>Since the first reported HIV case in the Philippines in 1984, there have been 114,008 confirmed HIV cases reported to HARP.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/14/23/doh-hiv-cases-projected-to-reach-364000-by-2030">DOH: HIV cases projected to reach 364,000 by 2030</a></li></ul><div><strong>MANAGEMENT, TREATMENT OF HIV</strong></div><p>In San Lazaro Hospital in Manila, there are 2,911 clients alive on antiretroviral therapy, which is the treatment for HIV, as of December 2022.</p><p>Dennis Gregg Almonte, medical specialist of San Lazaro Hospital&#x27;s HIV and AIDS department, said the following are the care and treatment programs for HIV patients:</p><ul>	<li>Prompt treatment of HIV-related diseases</li>	<li>Prevention of HIV-related diseases</li>	<li>Control of HIV infection</li>	<li>Restoration of immune status</li>	<li>Provision of psychosocial support</li></ul><p>For the prompt treatment of HIV-related diseases, the patient will undergo a complete history and physical examination and will be determined if symptomatic or asymptomatic, Almonte said in a virtual town hall forum Monday.</p><p>Patients will then be provided prophylaxis against opportunistic infection to prevent HIV-related diseases, he added.</p><p>Patients are advised to have a balanced diet, proper sleep and rest, exercise and be vaccinated against Hepatitis B, influenza and streptococcal pneumonia.</p><p>For the control of HIV infection and restoration of immune status, Almonte said patients would undergo antiretroviral therapy. </p><p>He stressed that the antiretroviral treatment is not curative.</p><p>&quot;They have to stick to the antiretroviral or they will induce resistance or cross resistance or there are also short-term or long-term toxicities when taking ARV,&quot; Almonte added.</p><p>He also noted that the antiretroviral treatment is for lifetime, and it is available for free in DOH-designated treatment hubs.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2503026" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div> </div>

The Department of Health has recorded 2,079 new HIV cases in March, up 35 percent from the same period last year.