Paid sex is seen to be the top cause of why Filipinos mostly men contract human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.
There are 91 Filipinos nationwide infected with HIV, according to the report of the Department of Health’s HIV aids registry of the Philippines.
HARP’s report shows those who were infected are mostly male with ages ranging from 16 – 54 years.
There are fifty-five cases of males acquiring HIV by paying for sex, excluding one, while the other twenty-four males admitted to have gotten the virus after getting paid for sex.
Moreover, eleven males and one female were infected after engaging in both.
Meanwhile, in the Asia Pacific region, Philippines has the record of being the country with the fastest growing HIV cases.
In response to the HIV spread, the government’s health department is currently giving free Antiretroviral medicine to those who are HIV positive and other out-patients services to a maximum of P30,000 per person annually.
(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 08 / 28 / 17)