The Department of Health (DOH) logged 1,292 HIV cases in February, with 56 teens and kids contracting the virus.
Among the cases involving teens and kids, 54 were aged 10 to 19, while two were below 10 years old, the DOH said.
The February tally for the age group is lower than the 86 logged in January, the DOH said.
Mary Joy Morin, senior technical specialist of the DOH’s National HIV, AIDS, and STI Prevention and Control Program, said they are continuously monitoring the HIV cases among the 10-19 age group because of the worrying trend.
Morin noted though that many from this age group are now accessing testing services.
“There are more of them who are accessing the service. But we still want to reach those who have not been tested because they can contribute to more infections, more cases if they don’t know they have HIV,” she said.
The addition of 1,292 confirmed HIV cases pushed the national total to 112,028 since January 1984, of which 65,236 are currently on antiretroviral therapy (ART) as of February 2023.
Around 1,176 were newly enrolled in the treatment program, the DOH said.
