Central Visayas 6th in HIV cases

CEBU, Philippines — Central Visayas recorded 225 new HIV cases in the first quarter of 2025, placing it among the top six regions with the highest number of infections nationwide, according to the Department of Health.

In the latest HIV/AIDS surveillance report by the Department of Health (DOH), Region 7 recorded 225 new HIV cases between January and March 2025, accounting for 4 percent of the country’s 5,101 new cases.

Central Visayas joined the National Capital Region, CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Davao Region, and Western Visayas — regions that together accounted for 69 percent of all new cases nationwide.

“In January to March 2025, there were 5,101 confirmed HIV-positive individuals reported to the One HIV/AIDS & STI Information System (OHASIS), 50% higher than the cases recorded in the same quarter last year,” the report reads.

From 1984 to March 2025, the region has documented 10,984 HIV cases, making up 7 percent of the country’s total 148,831 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, from January 2020 to March 2025 alone, Central Visayas recorded 4,801 cases.

Nationwide, most of the new infections were among young males. Ninety-five percent, or 4,849, of new cases were male, and nearly half were aged 25 to 34, followed by those aged 15 to 24.

Moreover, 68 percent of new HIV infections nationwide were among cisgender individuals, with transgender women comprising 3 percent.

Sexual contact remains the leading mode of transmission, accounting for 96 percent of national cases.

Nearly all cases of HIV transmission through the sharing of infected needles were also recorded in Central Visayas, with 99 percent, or 2,627 individuals.

In terms of patient retention on antiretroviral therapy (ART), out of 6,596 people living with HIV (PLHIV) who are currently alive and on ART in Central Visayas, 2,772 have been lost to follow-up.

According to national data, of the 92,712 individuals alive on ART nationwide, only 41,786 — or 45 percent — underwent viral load testing in the past year.

Central Visayas reported a lower-than-average viral load testing coverage at only 33 percent. Of those tested, 86 percent were virally suppressed — on par with national suppression rates.

These figures indicate that the country is still far from reaching the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 global targets.

The UNAIDS 95-95-95 goal aims that by 2030, 95 percent of PLHIV will know their HIV status, 95 percent of those diagnosed will be receiving treatment (ART), and 95 percent of those on ART will have a suppressed viral load. A suppressed viral load means the immune system remains strong and the risk of transmission is significantly reduced (Undetectable = Untransmissible).

As of March 2025, the Philippines is lagging behind those targets: only 55 percent of estimated PLHIV know their status, 66 percent of those diagnosed are on ART, and just 40 percent of those on ART have achieved viral suppression.

Among those newly diagnosed nationwide in the first quarter of 2025, 1,122 — or 22 percent — had advanced HIV disease (AHD), a 12 percent rise compared to the same quarter last year.

In terms of age, the median age for HIV diagnosis in the first quarter of 2025 was 27 years old, with a range from 1 to 81 years. The pattern of increasingly younger individuals being diagnosed has continued.

The number of pregnant women living with HIV also rose nationally. There were 45 reported cases of pregnant women newly diagnosed in 2025 — a 29 percent increase from last year.

Further, HIV diagnoses among migrant workers increased by 3 percent nationwide. From January to March 2025, 190 Filipino migrant workers were diagnosed with HIV, the majority of whom were male and acquired the virus through sexual contact. — (FREEMAN)