Nearly half of the new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections reported in the Philippines last year were among the youth, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

DOH Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Albert Domingo, during the joint committee hearing on the rising number of adolescent pregnancies and HIV among the youth on Jan. 28, highlighted the growing vulnerability of young people to HIV and called for intensified efforts in prevention, education, and awareness programs to curb the increasing numbers.

Domingo stressed the need to address the "HIV epidemic," noting that the highest modes of transmission are sexual transmission or through intercourse.

“Sa ating datos po sa HIV-AIDS, up to 47 percent of new infections are from the young key populations na nasa edad 15 hanggang 24 (In our data on HIV-AIDS, up to 47 percent of new infections are from the young key populations aged 15 to 24),” he said.

“Ang atin pong mga kabataan na maagang makipagtalik ay mas mataas ang risky behavior at mas nahihirapan na kumuha ng mga HIV-related services (The youth who engage in early sexual activity have a higher risk of engaging in risky behaviors and find it more difficult to access HIV-related services),” he added.

Citing DOH data, Domingo noted that, on average, the country’s young key populations for HIV first engaged in sexual activity at the age of 16.

He noted that the Filipino youth who engage in sexual activity also started using condoms, on average, when they were 17 years old. “Kung bakit po, yun po yung mga kailangan natin tingnan (The reasons behind this are something we need to look into),” he said.

Something ‘wrong’ is happening

Amid high rates of new HIV cases among the youth, childhood pregnancies, and maternal mortality, the DOH underscored the urgent need to address potential gaps.

“Mayroon talagang maling nangyayari na parang (There is really something wrong happening) whether it is a lack of information, a lack of access to commodities, or, with respect to our counterpart agencies, a lack of enforcement. The fact remains that childhood pregnancies are high, maternal mortalities are high, and many new cases of HIV are due to the young key populations,” Domingo said.

Related to this, Domingo acknowledged the relevance of a national policy in preventing adolescent pregnancies.

“Even though it focuses on adolescent pregnancies, it also touches on other diseases and health conditions, like we mentioned HIV, because the very same act, which we hold so dear and sacred in our culture, has to also be guided by scientific information and methods to carry it out in the healthiest way possible,” Domingo said. “And in that case, marami po tayong maso-solusyunan (there are many problems that we can solve),” he added.