OVER 300 new cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been reported involving people engaged in transactional sex, or those who either pay for sex, got paid for sex, or engage in both.
According to the latest HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP) of the Department of Health (DOH), from July to October 2016, a total of 331 were found to be transmitted with HIV through transactional sex.
The figure includes the 108 who accept payment for sex; 168 who get paid for sex; and 55 who are engaged in both.
This brings to a total of 3,371 the number of individuals who acquired HIV through transactional sex from December 2012 to October 2016.
The figure is composed of 1,008 who accept payment for sex; 1,824 who get paid for sex; and 539 who are engaged in both.
Despite this, the DOH pointed that the male-having-sex-with-male (MSM) category remains as the predominant mode of transmission of HIV.
Of the 38,114 HIV cases reported from January 1984 to October 2016, a total of 28,947 belong to the male-having-sex-with-male category, thereby making it the predominant mode of transmission.
The figure includes the 17,650 acquired thru homosexual contacts, and 11,297 transmitted via bisexual contacts, said the HARP.
For the July to October 2016 period alone, a total of 2,597 acquired HIV through MSM, including 1,650 homosexual contact, and 947 bisexual contact.
The MSM and those engaged in transactional sex are just two of the sectors being eyed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as being eligible to use the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to combat HIV.
In an interview, WHO Country Representative in the Philippines Dr. Gundo Weiler said they are in favor of tapping the PrEP in order to provide those most at risk to acquiring HIV another layer of protection.
“We are facing a situation that is very alarming in terms of infections. So we need to look into methods that are available to prevent infections from happening, traditional methods as well as additional innovative methods,” said Weiler.
PrEP is an HIV medicine that is the combination of “tenofovir and emtricitabine”, and must be taken daily in order to lower the chances of contracting HIV.
“It is basically the use of PrEP by people that are not HIV positive so if they get exposed to HIV, such as rupturing of condoms, there is an additional layer of support versus the infection,” explained Weiler.
The WHO official, however, stressed that they are not recommending the use of PrEP to all Filipinos worried of acquiring HIV.
“We are not suggesting that the whole population to take this PrEP. But it is really for people who are at higher risk and sexually active,” said Weiler. (HDT/Sunnex)