Duque refutes reports on alleged new HIV strain in PH

The claim of a group of Filipino scientists that there is a new drug-resistant subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) looming in the Philippines was a fake news, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday, March 21. (Photo: Department of Health (Philippines)/Facebook)

The claim of a group of Filipino scientists that there is a new drug-resistant subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) looming in the Philippines was a fake news, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday, March 21.

“That is fake news. ‘Wag po sana tayo maging simula ng mga ganoong balita kasi ‘di naman po ito batay sa ebidensya (Let’s not make that kind of news because it is not based on evidence),” Duque said in an interview with reporters in Pasay City.

Dr. Edsel Salvana, director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the National Institutes of Health at the University of the Philippines (UP), notified the public last week about the alleged HIV AE subtype.

This, according to Salvana, is a more aggressive form of HIV which could intensify the epidemic in the country.

“Those infected by the HIV subtype AE are younger, sicker patients who are more resistant to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. We are also seeing a faster progression to AIDS under subtype AE,” Salvana said.

Salvana even noted that it is “urgently needed” for the country to conduct local research into the AE subtype of HIV.

“Specifically for the Philippines, we need more scientists willing to do research work on HIV. To do this, we need to make access to government research funds more efficient. The current government procurement procedures are tedious and slow, which causes further delay in research,” the director said.

However, Duque said the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet given any information to the Health Department regarding the presence of the supposed HIV strain in the Philippines.

“I’m sure if there was a strain, a new strain, we would’ve been informed by the WHO and other authorities in HIV-AIDS. So wala po kaming gano’ng natatanggap na tamang impormasyon tungkol diyan (We have not yet received any correct information about this matter),” Duque stressed.

Citing the latest data from the UNAIDS Report on global HIV epidemic states, the DOH announced last year that the Philippines has now the “fastest growing” HIV epidemic in the Asia Pacific and has become one of eight countries that account for more than 85% of new HIV infections in the region.

The report showed that the new HIV cases among Filipinos doubled from 4,300 in 2010 to 10,500 in 2016.

According to Duque, a total of 46,985 HIV cases have been reported to the DOH since 1984 to August 2017. This data is expected to raise up to 142,000 by the year 2022.