750 new HIV cases recorded in December

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Health (DOH) recorded a total of 750 new HIV/AIDS cases last December, bringing to almost 10,000 the number of documented cases in 2016.           

The new cases included three pregnant women, two of whom were from Metro Manila, while one came from Region 7 or Central Visayas.           

Based on a report by the DOH-Epidemiology Bureau, exactly 9,264 cases were recorded from January to December last year, 1,113 of them AIDS. Death toll was at 1,969.           

The figure was higher than the 7,831 cases recorded in 2015.

But in January 1984, when the DOH started registering cases, 39,622 cases were already recorded.           

The DOH said of the 9,264 cases last year, age bracket 25-34 accounted for 4,921 or more than half; followed by 15-24 age bracket, with 2,625 or close to a third of the total.

Age bracket 35-49 had 1,510 cases, while 50 and above recorded 186. A total of 22 cases were below 15 years old.           

Of the 750 cases in December, the National Capital Region (NCR) had the most with 267, followed by Region 4A with 136, Region 3 with 74, Region 7 with 59 and Region 11 with 46 cases. 

The DOH also noted that the age group with the “biggest proportion of cases has become younger” over the years.