748 new HIV cases recorded in May

In May, the Department of Health (DOH) registered a record high 748 new cases of HIV/AIDS, bringing the total number this year to 3,157.

“This is 51 percent higher compared to the same period last year (495 cases) and was the highest number of cases reported since 1984,” the DOH said in its Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry.

There were 29 deaths in May.

Of the 748 cases, 41 were full-blown AIDS at the time of reporting. A total of 717 patients were male.

According to the DOH, 409 of the cases belonged to the 25-34 age group while 207 came from 15-24 age bracket; 121 from 35-49 age bracket and 11 were above 50 years.

The DOH noted that 728 of the patients got infected through sexual contact, 86 percent of whom were males who had sex with males (MSM). The other 20 were drug users who shared contaminated needles.

The DOH undertook the National Voluntary Testing Program for HIV/AIDS in May to encourage those at risk to be tested and seek treatment.

The DOH gave assurance that free testing is available in the agency’s testing enters across the country all year round.

Source: abs-cbnnews.com