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© UNICEF Philippines

The risks of HIV infection among children remains high.

The Philippines with a population of about 95 million remains as one of the few countries with HIV prevalence below 1% in all groups of society. As of December 2008, the AIDS Registry tallied 3,589 reported cases of HIV infection. However, the annual newly reported HIV cases rose sharply from 200 in 2004 to 528 in 2008, and nearly tripled in 15-24 year-olds from 41 in 2007 to 110 in 2008 (National AIDS Registry, National Epidemiology Centre). While the mode of infection is largely sexual transmission, a sharp change has been noted from predominantly heterosexual transmission in earlier years to bi- or homosexual transmission in 2008.

Several factors have been identified which may lead to continued considerable increase of new HIV infections in the country: high rates of sexually transmitted infection (STI); a substantially large sex industry, networks of men having sex with men with behaviours putting them at considerable risk of HIV infection; a legal situation which does not support HIV prevention services to injecting drug users; an increasing number of HIV cases in adolescents and young people, large numbers of adolescents living or working under conditions which make them very vulnerable to sexual abuse or exploitation, combined with overall low awareness of STI and HIV risk and low condom use.

Laws are in place to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS and to keep its prevalence low, but they have yet to be fully implemented and monitored. The Philippine National AIDS Council has limited data about HIV in the context of children and young people.
Public health facilities are limited in their ability to provide voluntary counselling and testing for young people and children.
Because the general public lacks knowledge of HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV experience stigma and discrimination, even amongst health workers. As a result, many are unwilling to even be tested or to get the proper treatment, for fear of being exposed.

Funding for the Philippine HIV-response comes to 65% from external sources, mainly through the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). Domestic and private sources make up 24% and 11% respectively.