The number of Singaporeans and permanent residents diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) this year is projected to drop below 300 for the first time in 17 years.
From January to October, there were 220 newly diagnosed HIV cases, said the Health Ministry (MOH) on World Aids Day yesterday. The last time case numbers dropped below 300 was in 2003, when there were 242 cases. Between 2007 and 2017, cases hovered in the 400 to 500 range.
Doctors attribute the marked reduction in new HIV cases this year to safe distancing measures due to the pandemic as well as the circuit breaker period from April to June.
Dr Colleen Thomas, an internal medicine specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said: "Fear of Covid-19 caused people to minimise social interactions and basically stay home. Gatherings and night life were all affected."
But infectious diseases specialist Leong Hoe Nam from Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital noted there may have been some infected with HIV who opted to forgo testing due to the pandemic, and they would not be reflected in the figures.
Said Dr Leong: "There might have been reduced testing this year due to Covid-19. People may... have been frightened to see a doctor or go to hospitals."
Of the 125 cases reported in the first half of the year, 90 per cent were male and about four in 10 were aged between 40 and 59.
Sexual intercourse remains the main mode of HIV transmission, accounting for 96 per cent of the 125 cases.
Mr Rayner Tan, a doctoral candidate at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who has conducted research on HIV and sexually transmitted infections, noted a steeper drop in yearly cases after 2017, attributing it to the roll-out of the new HIV preventive drug - HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - in late 2016.
The antiretroviral medication is taken by HIV-negative individuals to prevent HIV infection. Since 2018, yearly cases have hovered in the low 300 range, down drastically from 434 cases in 2017.
"Research underpinned both the efficacy of PrEP, as well as its acceptability and higher uptake among homosexual and bisexual men," said Mr Tan.
"If we are able to scale up access to HIV PrEP, our modelling studies at the school suggest that it is possible to eliminate the onward transmission of HIV as early as 2030."
More than half the cases reported this year were detected by HIV tests done in the course of medical care, while 15 per cent of cases were detected through voluntary HIV screening, down from 19 per cent last year.
MOH and the Health Promotion Board urged individuals at risk of HIV infection to undergo regular testing.
"With early and effective treatment, persons living with HIV can delay the onset of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids) for many years and continue to lead an active and productive life," said the ministry.
