Breakthroughs Today

According to the Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry, cases of HIV infection in the Philippines breached the 10,000 milestone since it started compiling data in 1984. With the total of 278 new cases recorded in July, total recorded HIV infections in the country reached 10,242. [ Read Report ]

The Department of Health (DOH) announced on 25 November 2010 that new HIV infections reached 1,305 cases from January to October this year. Sex between men, according to an Agence France-Presse report, accounted for nearly 80 percent of all cases mentioned. More than half of those infected aged between 20 and 29. Eleven percent got transmitted through needle-sharing among drug users. One percent came through mother-to-child transmission in pregnancy. Among all countries in Asia, country coordinator of UNAIDS Teresita Marie Bagasao was quoted saying, only the Philippines and Bangladesh had cases increasing as others stayed stable or decreasing. [ Report ]