Rate of HIV infection doubles in Philippines

The rate of new infections with HIV that causes AIDS has doubled in Philippines as the disease spreads beyond sex workers to public.

The rate of new infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS has doubled in the Philippines as the disease spreads beyond sex workers to the public, the Health Department warned on Wednesday.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said a study from December 2003 to October 2004 found that the rate of HIV infection in the country had risen to about 200 cases annually from the previous level of 100 cases in 2001-2.

"The pattern may be changing already. You dont get it now from commercial sex workers," Dayrit warned in a statement.

Of the 200 new cases of HIV infection found, 52 percent were in professions like teachers, businessmen, barbers, nurses, mechanics, welders and drivers. Five percent were housewives and two percent were children, the department said.

Seven percent came from some of the millions of Filipinos who work abroad.

Surprisingly, none of the new infections involved sex workers, the department said.

The majority of the new cases were infected through a partner who had multiple sexual partners including wives whose husbands were cheating on them, Dayrit said.

The main mode of transmission of HIV is through unprotected sex with 70 percent of the cases involving heterosexuals, 21 percent homosexuals and nine percent bisexuals.

"If you think you can get it (mainly) through commercial sex workers, the trend is changing. The infection is here, it's infecting everybody from all walks of life and certainly through sexual contact," Dayrit said.

A total of 2,176 people in the Philippines are confirmed to have been infected with the AIDS virus but experts warn that the actual figure could be much higher.

Dayrit said HIV/AIDS infection in the country was still "low and slow" compared to other Asian countries but urged caution.

Foreign and local critics have said that the government's anti-AIDS program is hampered by pressure from the dominant Roman Catholic church which opposes the distribution of condoms for birth control or disease prevention.