MORE than half of all HIV cases transmitted from mother to child in the Philippines have been recorded in just the past five years, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

From January 2020 to March 2025, 202 cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission were documented. This accounts for over 50 percent of the total 401 cases recorded since 1984. Seventeen of these were newly diagnosed in the first quarter of 2025 alone.

The data is part of the DOH's latest HIV and AIDS Surveillance report, which continues to show sexual contact as the dominant mode of transmission. Since 1985, the country has recorded a total of 148,831 HIV and AIDS cases. Of these, 96 percent, or 143,272, were acquired through sexual contact.

Male-to-male sex accounted for 89,198 cases, while 33,823 cases involved both male-to-male and male-to-female contact. Another 20,251 were transmitted through male-to-female sex.

Infections through sharing of infected needles made up 2 percent, or 2,627 cases. There have been no new cases involving blood products since 2012.

Transmission patterns also vary by gender. Among diagnosed males, 88 percent acquired HIV through sex with another male, 9 percent through sex with a female, 2 percent through sharing infected needles, and less than 1 percent through mother-to-child transmission.

Among females, 93 percent of cases were transmitted through sex with a male partner. Two percent were due to sharing infected needles, and another two percent were transmitted from mother to child.

Regional data show notable variations. Thirty-four percent of males who acquired HIV through sex with other males were from the National Capital Region (NCR). Meanwhile, 57 percent of mother-to-child transmissions were recorded in NCR, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.

Nearly all HIV cases related to needle-sharing, or 99 percent, were reported in Central Visayas.

In the first quarter of 2025, 96 percent of the 5,099 newly recorded HIV cases were due to sexual contact. Less than 1 percent each were caused by infected needles and mother-to-child transmission.

In response to the continuing HIV crisis, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has reiterated its support for people living with the virus and called for an end to stigma.

Military Ordinariate Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio urged young people not to fear seeking help.

“I hope this message goes clear to our young people: don’t be afraid to come out and avail of the intervention that the episcopal commission on health care is doing,” he said in a dzRV interview.

He added that those living with HIV are part of the Church community and deserve care and support.(MyTVCebu)

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• #HIV and AIDS Surveillance Report