82 OFW's Diagnose with HIV in July 2019

As of July 2019, there is an additional 1,111 of Filipinos who had acquired the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Eighty-two of these Filipinos are Overseas Filipino Workers working inland and at sea within the previous 5 years.

According to the report of the HIV/ AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP) of the Department of Health, the total OFWs who had acquired HIV make up seven percent of the sum of all newly identified cases for the month of July 2019. Out of the eighty-two Overseas Filipino Workers, seventy-four percent or ninety percent are males who acquired HIV through sexual intercourse.

Out of the Seventy-four HIV male positive, thirty-nine are involved with male-to-male sexual relationships and the remaining twenty-eight are involved with both male and female sexual relationships.

The ages of the Overseas Filipino Workers who had acquired HIV are from age 23 to 64 years of age.

The ages of the eight OFW women who were diagnosed with HIV are from twenty-three to thirty-eight years old. Updated records had shown the increasing trend of OFWs acquiring HIV.

From January 1984 to July of 2019, there had been 6,842 cases of OFWs who had acquired HIV. This indicates that 1 out of ten Filipinos or former OFWs had acquired the disease.

More or less, 73% of OFWs with HIV cases are involved with male-to-male sexual relationships and with both genders.