92 of HIV Cases Reported in Feb. Engaged in Paid Sex: Report

MANILA, April 18 (PNA) — Some 92, or 11 percent, of the HIV cases reported last February contracted the disease through transactional or paid sex, the HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP) has said.

Transactional sex involves the payment and acceptance of fees in exchange for sexual pleasure.

According to the HARP report, 93 percent of the cases were male 18-54 years old, while 6 percent were female 19-35 years old.

The HARP further noted that a total of 3,693 cases from December 2012 to February 2017 were people who engaged in paid sex, some 1,990 (54 percent) of whom paid for sex, 1,115 (30 percent) accepted payment for sex, and 588 (16 percent) engaged in both. Of the figure, 3,532 (96 percent) were male.

Meanwhile, according to the report, 95 deaths were registered last February, 91 of whom were male, while 52 belonged to the 25-34 age bracket, 15 to the 15-24 age group, and 25 to the 35-49 age bracket. All of them were infected through sexual contact. (PNA)
LSJ

(Source: PNA.gov.ph)