Philippines warns of health emergency as HIV cases soar

MANILA – The Philippine medical authorities on June 3 warned of a looming “public health emergency” as HIV infections have soared in 2025, with young males especially hard-hit.

On the average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 50 per cent jump from a year earlier, Health Ministry data shows.

“We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,” Health Minister Ted Herbosa said in a video message.

“What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases,” he said.

“It would be in our interest to (declare) a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases,” Dr Herbosa added.

The Health Ministry said 95 per cent of newly reported cases were male, with 33 per cent aged 15-24 and 47 per cent aged 25-34.

The government did not explain the causes behind the surge, which it said has set back government attempts to hit global targets set by a United Nations campaign to end the Aids epidemic by 2030.

Under Philippine law, the president can declare a health emergency if an epidemic poses a threat to national security. The start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 was the last time that was done.

Just 55 per cent of those living with HIV in the Philippines have been diagnosed, the Health Ministry said, while only 66 per cent of those diagnosed are on life-saving antiretroviral therapy.

Sexual contact remains the predominant mode of transmission, with the bulk of cases since 2007 attributed to men having sex with men.

HIV cases have been on the rise in the Philippines since 2021, with 252,800 people estimated to be living with HIV in the country by the end of this year. AFP