"Philippine HIV Cases Double over Three Years"
Agence France Presse (01.31.06)

In just three years, the number of Filipinos living with HIV has
risen from about 6,000 in 2002 to 11,168, according to new Health
Department estimates released Tuesday. The widespread practice of
unprotected sex, and the many infected, sexually active persons who
are unaware of their HIV-positive status, make the nation especially
vulnerable, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque.

Men who have sex with men, female sex workers, their male clients,
and injection drug users (IDUs) are groups most at risk for
infection, said Duque. Nevertheless, the department estimates just
2,942 HIV cases fall into these transmission categories, said
Enrique Tayag, department epidemiologist.

"A significant change in this estimation is that 8,000 of these HIV-
positives are now found in the general population," said
Duque. "This means that current interventions miss a hidden
population that would benefit and thus avert a major catastrophe."

The survey found that 1 percent of IDUs in Cebu, the nation's second-
most populous city, are HIV-positive, said Duque. Both Duque and
John Marc Olive, World Health Organization country representative,
emphasized this represents a "red flag" for the Philippines.
Unchecked, the nation's epidemic could easily mirror Thailand's,
Duque said. He added that many IDUs practice unsafe sex, have
multiple partners, and share needles.

Duque said the nation has allocated 20 million pesos ($383,000 US)
for antiretroviral therapy. He also urged the Catholic Church to
allow the government to promote condom use among the faithful in the
largely Catholic nation. "It's a dilemma for the [health department]
to have to manage opposition from the [Roman] Catholic Church
because it views condoms also as a family planning method and not
just a tool against HIV/AIDS," he said.

[CDC News] CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update 02/03/2006