Lack of awareness among youth blamed for rise in HIV cases

A public health expert blamed a lack of awareness among the youth for the rise in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the country.—FILE PHOTO/INQUIRER/MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — A public health expert blamed a lack of awareness among the youth for the rise in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the country.

“Yung kabataan kasi natin ngayon, nakikita natin na nagpa-practice na sila, ine-explore na nila yung sexual behavior,” Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division chief Dr. Rolly Cruz said in a radio interview over dzMM on Friday.

(The youth nowadays, we can see that they practice and explore their sexual behavior.)

“They are still unaware because most are in high school or early college. It’s possible that they haven’t been reached by our information drives,” Cruz added.

Earlier this June, the Department of Health reported a 500-percent increase in the country’s HIV cases from January to March 2025.

In particular, Quezon City reported 421 new HIV cases from January to May 2025, a 7.7-percent increase over cases logged in the same period last year.

Of the 421 cases in the city, 35 percent, or 149 cases, were from the 15-24 age group. Further, 40 percent of them were students.

The city health official said their local government unit was already distributing learning and reference materials on HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to classes as young as grade 8 to help curb the spread of the virus.

Cruz also said officials were eyeing ways to combat misinformation about the virus and increase awareness among parents and teachers.

READ: QC records 421 HIV cases from January to May this year

“Maraming mga myths and, in short, wala pang alam yung mga magulang. Ang mga alam lang nila, ‘pag may HIV ka, mamamatay ka,” he said.

(There are a lot of myths, and, in short, the parents still don’t know much. All they know is that, if you have HIV, you will die.)

Cruz also touted that the city government had stepped up its efforts to detect and treat HIV through nine clinics, 67 health centers, and a drive-through program to make testing more accessible. (Ryanna Aquino, INQUIRER.net intern)/coa