The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued a warning that HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) cases in the Philippines have increased sixfold over the past 14 years, making it one of the countries with the most severe HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region.
According to Central News Agency reports, the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office held its 76th regional committee meeting in Fiji from the 20th to the 24th, releasing a press statement on the 22nd that singled out the Philippines, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea as the three countries in the region with the fastest-growing number of HIV cases.
According to WHO data, from 2010 to 2024, HIV cases in the Philippines increased by about six times, with the main affected group being young men who have sex with men. Chemsex (use of drugs to facilitate sexual activity), delayed testing, and low coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) are important reasons for the out-of-control epidemic.
HIV cases in Fiji have increased tenfold over the past ten years, while Papua New Guinea declared a national HIV crisis state in June this year.
WHO stated that every three minutes, one person is infected with HIV in the Western Pacific region, and an estimated 164,000 new cases will occur in 2024. Since 2010, the region's new cases have decreased by 11%, but this is far below the global average reduction rate of 40%.
The pattern of the epidemic's spread varies across the region, but it is generally transmitted through sexual activity among certain groups. These groups include men who have sex with men, people in prisons and other closed environments, intravenous drug users, sex workers, and transgender individuals.