The province of Iloilo logged the highest number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in Western Visayas.
Based on data from the Department of Health (DOH-6), Iloilo recorded a total of 2,063 cases of HIV from 1986 to 2024, accounting for 23 percent of the total cases in the region.
The number, according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO), includes 256 deaths.
Dr. Rodney Labis, spokesperson of PHO’s HIV/AIDS program, said majority of the deaths were caused by complications from being immunocompromised or having Advanced HIV Disease (AHD).
The town of Oton had the most number of cases in the province, followed by Pavia, Pototan, Janiuay, Sta. Barbara, Dumangas, Cabatuan, Barotac Nuevo, Miagao, and Lambunao.
Last year, the province registered 296 cases of HIV. Most of the cases were males with sex as the predominant mode of transmission.
HIV, according to the Department of Health (DOH), is a “viral infection that attacks and slowly destroys the immune system.”
Aside from sexual contact, the virus can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, and pregnancy (from mother to child).
If left untreated, HIV can lead to the more severe condition known as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome).IMT
