THE number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in the country decreased in the fourth quarter of 2024 as compared to July to September 2024.
Data provided by the Department of Health (DOH) showed that a total of 4,245 new HIV cases were recorded from October to December 2024, fewer than the 4,595 HIV cases detected in the third quarter of last year.
As a result, the average daily HIV cases in the country for the fourth quarter of 2024 went down to 47.
From July to September 2024, the country was seeing an aver-age of 50 cases per day.
“Cumulatively, a total of 143,778 confirmed HIV cases have been reported since the first reported HIV case in the Philip-pines in 1984,” said the DOH.
From October to December 2024, the region with the highest number of newly diagnosed cases was the National Capital Re-gion with 1,038 cases, followed by Calabarzon with 749 cases; Central Luzon with 445 cases; Western Visayas with 314 cases; and Central Visayas with 263 cases.
A large majority (94 percent) of the new cases are males with 3,990 while females account for 255 (six percent).
Nearly half (47 percent) of the new cases belong to the age range of 25-34 years old with 1,990; followed by the 1,321 cases (31 percent) belonging to the 15 to 24 years old age bracket.
