SEXUAL contact remains the number one mode of transmission for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Based on the April to June 2025 HIV and AIDS Surveillance of the Philippines report, a total of 4,756 or 96 percent of the 4,979 newly-reported HIV cases were due to sexual contact.
This is consistent with the trend over the years, according to the DOH, as 148,020 or 96 percent of the 153,798 total HIV cases reported from January 1984 to June 2025 were transmitted sexually.
“Sexual contact has consistently been the leading mode of HIV transmission among newly diagnosed cases over the years,” said the DOH.
Among the newly-reported cases from April to June 2025, the DOH said 3,544 were through male-to-male sex, 641 through sex with both males and females, and 571 through male-to-female sex.
Since January 1984, there were a total of 92,738 HIV cases acquired via male-to-male sex, 34,461 via sex with both males and females, and 20,821 through male-to-female sex.
Other modes of HIV transmission, however, were also reported, such as sharing of infected needles, mother-to-child, blood products, and needlestick injury.
From April to June 2025, there were 23 reported sharing of infected needles, 9 through mother-to-child transmission, while 191 had no data on mode of transmission at the time of diagnosis.
Since January 1984, sharing of infected needles has accounted for 2,647 of the total cases, followed by mother-to-child transmission with 410 cases, through blood or blood products with 19 cases, needlestick injuries with 3 cases, while 2,589 cases have unknown modes of transmission.
DROP IN NEW CASES
For the second quarter of 2025, the DOH noted that the average number of new cases daily dropped to 55.
This is lower than the 57 newly diagnosed HIV cases per day in the first quarter of 2025.
“Compared to the previous quarter average cases per day, there has been a decrease,” said the DOH.
Overall, the DOH reported that 4,979 new HIV cases were recorded from April to June 2025, slightly lower compared to the 5,101 new HIV cases reported in January to March 2025.
Earlier, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa proposed the declaration of a public health emergency due to the surge in HIV cases in the country.
