11 December 2009, The Heritage Hotel, Pasay City

The National Dissemination Forum on the 2009 Integrated HIV Behavioral and Serologic Surveillance (IHBSS) was held last Friday, 11 December 2009.

Entitled "This is It", the Forum raised the alarm on the changing landscape of the HIV epidemic in the Philippines.  Dr. Eric Tayag, Director of the National Epidemiology Center of the Department of Health, presented the results of the 2009 IHBSS, and renewed the DOH's call to intensify prevention programmes, especially in areas that reported the most number of HIV cases.  He underscored the urgency to act now in light of the findings from this latest round of surveillance, among which:

• National HIV prevalence is still below 1%, but some most-at-risk populations (MARPs) in some sentinel sites have as high as 4%.
• 70 HIV positive cases were detected this year, up from 7 in 2007.
  This year's round of IHBSS detected HIV positive cases in significant numbers across all MARPs - males who have sex with males (MSMs), female freelance sex workers (FLSWs), female registered sex workers (RSWs) and injecting drug users (IDUs). 
• 47% of HIV positive cases were infected in the last 5 months, based on BED Assay tests subjected on all HIV positive blood samples.
• In 2009, there were 5 HIV-positive MARPs per 1,000 (or 1 HIV positive MARP per 200), compared to 1 HIV-positive MARP per 1,000 in 2007.
• Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao reported the most number of HIV cases.
• Coverage of prevention programmes is less than 20%, way below the country's target of 60%.
• Reported condom use among MARPs is 62%, but this masks low level of condom use at 22% among certain populations.
• Significant numbers of MSMs and FLSWs reported injecting drug use.

The Forum was spearheaded by the DOH in partnership with UNAIDS and the GFATM Round 6 HIV grant.  It was participated in by 180 participants from around the country, representing government, civil society and international development agencies.  Also included in the programme were: The Honorable Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III who gave the keynote address; Ms. Teresita Marie P. Bagasao, UNAIDS Country Coordinator who presented the key findings of the Commission on AIDS in Asia on where we have failed in our response in the region; and, DOLE Assistant Secretary Ms. Teresita Soriano, PNAC Secretariat Director Dr. Ferchito Avelino, PAFPI President Mr. Joshua Formentera, and AIDS Advocate Mr. Wango Gallaga who served as panel of reactors and reiterated the need for urgent, targeted and scaled up prevention interventions.

For more information, contact Dr. Genesis Samonte, HIV Surveillance Manager, DOH National Epidemiology Center, Tel: (63-2) 743-8301 local 1901.


Click here to download the full presentation on the 2009 IHBSS: