EDITORIAL: HIV Emergency

THE Department of Health’s urgent call to declare a national public health emergency over the alarming surge of HIV infections among Filipino youth is not just a medical appeal—it is a moral imperative.

With a 500% increase in cases among those aged 15 to 25, the numbers paint a chilling portrait of a crisis spiralling out of control.

Averaging 57 new HIV infections daily in the first quarter of 2025, the Philippines is at a tipping point. The youngest recorded case—a 12-year-old child from Palawan—should jolt every policymaker and parent into recognizing that HIV is no longer a distant threat. It is here, it is now, and it is affecting our most vulnerable.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa’s plea for an emergency declaration is not hyperbole. Compared to Mpox or even previous HIV trends, this spike signals an epidemic that conventional measures can no longer contain.

A national emergency status would enable a unified, well-resourced, and far-reaching campaign—something we desperately need.

But what has fueled this explosion in cases?

The root causes are painfully clear: inadequate sex education in schools, limited youth-friendly health services, widespread stigma, and cultural silence. These have combined into a perfect storm where young people are left unarmed against a virus they barely understand, shamed into silence, and blamed for their vulnerability.

Education remains our weakest defense. While public discourse has become louder, the information reaching the youth remains incomplete or distorted. Schools must be safe spaces where science-based, age-appropriate sex education is the norm—not the exception.

Barriers to access are equally damning. When judgment and discrimination await those who seek condoms or get tested, we reinforce silence and shame. And silence, in the face of a virus, kills.

Thankfully, the DOH has not been idle. Expanding free testing, distributing antiretroviral therapy, and working with groups like LoveYourself are critical first steps. But these efforts need the full backing of national policy and public participation.

The declaration of a public health emergency would obligate local governments and national agencies to integrate HIV awareness and services into every community—and prioritize it in every budget.

The international community has taken notice. The support of the United Nations, through UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNICEF, underscores that this is not just a local concern—it is a global warning sign.

But policy and programs alone won’t win this battle. As Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ahtisa Manalo aptly put it: “Awareness without action is apathy.” The public must step in—not with judgment, but with compassion and urgency.

Let us remember the four clear steps the DOH recommends: practice safe sex, get tested regularly, start and stick to treatment, and break the silence. These are small, personal acts with massive collective impact.

If President Marcos heeds the DOH’s call, he will not only enable the necessary emergency response—he will also send a powerful message that the lives and futures of Filipino youth matter.

We cannot afford to lose another generation to a disease we already know how to prevent, manage, and eventually end.

The time to act is not tomorrow. It is now.