'National emergency': Philippines urged to address HIV epidemic

The UNAIDS report showed a 140-percent increase in new infections in the Philippines from an estimated 4,300 cases in 2010 to an estimated 10,500 in 2016. The Philippines is one of eight countries that account for more than 90 percent of new HIV infections in the region.

 

READ: Report: Philippines has fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia Pacific

 

 

Although the HRW commended the Duterte administration's plan to increase the funding for antiretroviral treatment, the group lamented the delay in rolling out more practical and cost-efficient approaches, such as the removal of obstacles to condom access and usage and inclusion of safer sex and HIV prevention education in the school curriculum.

 

READ: HRW urges gov't to promote condoms to curb HIV epidemic

 

In 2016, 83 percent of newly reported HIV cases occurred among males who have sex with males or MSM and transgender women who have sex with males or TGW.

 

Majority of new infections were among 15- to 24-year-old MSM and TGW. Alarming, however, was the low rate of correct knowledge on HIV transmission and prevention among these key at-risk population.

 

The UNAIDS found that in 2015 only 35 percent of 15- to 24-year-old MSM and TGW know how the virus is transmitted and prevented. The percentage of MSM and TGW who knew their HIV status by getting tested also remains low at 16 percent in 2015 from 5 percent in 2011. 

 

"The Philippines government needs to demonstrate it’s finally willing to adequately address [the HIV epidemic]," the New York-based group said. 

In its report published in December last year, the HRW said current government policies as well as the long standing objections of the Catholic church "create obstacles to condom access and HIV testing and limit educational efforts on HIV prevention."

 

"In the Philippines, condoms are readily available for retail sale at pharmacies and convenience stores. However, a legal restriction embodied in the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354, known as the RH Law) prohibits condom purchases by individuals under the age of 18 without parental consent. As a result, retail store employees routinely refuse to sell condoms to youths or demand that they provide identification proving their age, which can be off-putting even for those over 18," the report said.

 

"Human Rights Watch spoke to many people with HIV age 18 to 35 who described their unease when buying condoms. Although the government provides free condoms at public social hygiene clinics (SHCs), which provide no-cost contraceptive supplies and family planning services, many Filipinos will not visit SHCs because they carry a social stigma related to their outreach activities for commercial sex workers," it added.

 

The group said the government must also reactivate, especially in Cebu City, its harm reduction programs which are focused on preventing the spread of HIV through injectable materials such as needles, syringes and other drug preparation equipment. Cebu City, the country's second largest city, recorded the highest prevalence of HIV among MSM population based on the 2015 data of the DOH. 

 

"Likewise, the government needs to step up its efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination, which are key factors in discouraging or preventing key affected populations being tested or treated," the HRW added. — Mikas Matsuzawa and Elizabeth Marcelo