Philippines HIV cases jump 500%, prompting ‘public health emergency’ warning

The HIV cases are rising disproportionately among young men, with 95 per cent of new cases being male, with 33 per cent aged 15–24, and 47 per cent aged 25–34

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A diagnostician holds a positive HIV test. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 5:25pm, 3 Jun 2025Updated: 8:19pm, 3 Jun 2025

Corrected [8:09pm, 3 Jun, 2025]

[8:09pm, 3 Jun, 2025]
An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the rise in HIV case was 50 per cent

Philippine medical authorities on Tuesday warned of a looming “public health emergency” as HIV infections have soared this year, with young males especially hard hit.

On average, 57 new cases a day were tallied in the country of 117 million people over the first three months of 2025, a 500 per cent jump from a year earlier, health department data shows.

“We now have the highest number of new cases here in the Western Pacific,” Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said in a video message released on Tuesday.

“What is frightening is, our youth make up many of the new cases,” he said.

“It would be in our interest to [declare] a public health emergency, a national emergency for HIV to mobilise the entire society, the whole of government to help us in this campaign to reduce the number of new HIV cases,” Herbosa added.

The health department said 95 per cent of newly reported cases were male, with 33 per cent aged 15–24 and 47 per cent aged 25–34.