By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO

Bohol and Cebu continue to rank among the areas with the highest number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases in the Philippines, with health experts warning that the worsening epidemic is being met with insufficient long-term intervention and weak localized response mechanisms.

Latest epidemiological data from January 1984 to March 2026 showed that Central Visayas — now composed only of Cebu and Bohol following the 2024 creation of the Negros Island Region — recorded 12,137 cumulative HIV cases, placing the region among the top five HIV hotspots in the country.

The figure accounts for about 7 percent of all HIV infections nationwide, alongside the National Capital Region, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Davao Region as areas with the heaviest HIV burden.

The data exposed how Cebu and Bohol remain at the center of the country’s HIV crisis even after Negros Oriental and Siquijor were removed from the regional count following the administrative restructuring.

Health officials said the continuing rise of infections in Central Visayas reflects failures in prevention, education, testing accessibility and patient retention.

All Towns in Bohol

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) confirmed that all towns in Bohol, including Tagbilaran City, have already recorded HIV infections, underscoring the spread of the virus in the province.

PHO official Ma. Cristina Estomago acknowledged that no municipality in Bohol remains untouched by the disease.

“Every town and the city already have cases logged,” Estomago said.

From January to March 2025 alone, Bohol recorded 17 new HIV cases, with Tagbilaran City, Panglao, Ubay, Tubigon and Talibon posting the highest numbers.

Panglao — one of the province’s busiest tourism hubs — remains the only municipality outside Tagbilaran City with an HIV treatment center capable of providing antiretroviral therapy (ART), the lifelong medication used to suppress the virus.

The limited number of treatment facilities has raised fears among healthcare workers, particularly for patients living in remote towns who must travel long distances for consultations and medicine refills.

Several rural health workers said stigma and lack of transportation support continue to discourage patients from seeking regular treatment.

Epidemic

The situation in Cebu and Bohol mirrors the growing HIV crisis unfolding nationwide.

The Department of Health has repeatedly described the Philippines as having one of the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in the Asia-Pacific region.

During the first quarter of 2026 alone, the country logged 4,633 new HIV cases, equivalent to around 51 new infections every day.

Although the number represented an 11-percent decline compared with the previous reporting period, health experts stressed that the figures remain critically high.

Of the newly reported infections, 95 percent involved males, most of whom were between 25 and 34 years old.

MOST VULNERABLE

National data showed individuals aged 15 to 34 account for more than three-fourths of newly diagnosed HIV cases in the country.

Health experts warned that inadequate sex education, persistent stigma, social media exploitation, risky sexual behavior and low testing rates among youth continue to fuel infections.

Youngest HIV Case

In Cebu, health authorities recently confirmed one of the youngest documented HIV cases in the region — a 15-year-old infected through sexual transmission.

The case was disclosed by Dr. Kathleen Joyce Del Carmen during a health program discussing the growing incidence of pediatric and adolescent HIV infections.

While many HIV cases among children in the Philippines are linked to mother-to-child transmission, the Cebu case exposed increasing sexual exposure among minors and the continuing gaps in reproductive health education.

Medical professionals said the case demonstrates the urgent need for comprehensive sex education programs, early testing and stronger youth-focused awareness campaigns.

Needle-Sharing Cases

Aside from sexual transmission, Central Visayas also emerged as the country’s most alarming hotspot for HIV infections associated with needle-sharing.

Regional data showed Central Visayas accounts for 99 percent of all documented HIV cases nationwide involving shared needle use, totaling 2,647 infections.

The finding alarmed public health experts who warned that HIV prevention campaigns in the region remain heavily focused on sexual transmission while largely overlooking substance-use harm reduction.

Advocates said this requires expanded interventions that include counseling, rehabilitation support and targeted harm-reduction strategies.

However, no publicly visible province-wide harm-reduction framework has been institutionalized in Bohol despite the region’s alarming statistics.

Bohol Government Response

The growing HIV crisis has also triggered questions regarding the lack of a comprehensive and highly visible provincial response from the Provincial Government of Bohol.

Despite confirmed HIV cases in all towns, there has been no publicly announced province-wide HIV emergency action plan, no dedicated provincial HIV task force and no large-scale sustained awareness campaign comparable to government drives against dengue or COVID-19.

Healthcare workers and advocates also pointed to the absence of expanded treatment hubs across the province despite increasing infections.

“There are awareness programs, but many are fragmented and not sustained,” one healthcare worker said. “The virus has already spread across the province, but the response still appears limited.”

Critics likewise warned that the absence of strong policy direction may worsen the number of patients categorized as “lost to follow-up” — individuals diagnosed with HIV who stop returning for treatment.

Health experts stressed that untreated patients face higher risks of severe illness and may continue transmitting the virus unknowingly.

Stigma

Healthcare workers in Bohol identified stigma and fear of discrimination as among the biggest obstacles to controlling HIV transmission.

In many areas, patients reportedly avoid testing or treatment due to fear of exposure, social judgment or workplace discrimination.

This problem is more pronounced in smaller municipalities where confidentiality is difficult to maintain.

“HIV is already manageable with proper medication,” one health worker said. “But many patients are still afraid to seek help because of stigma.”

Since 1984, at least 10,727 Filipinos have died from HIV-related complications nationwide.

Annual HIV-related deaths in the country have consistently exceeded 500 since 2016.

Public health advocates warned that without aggressive intervention, wider testing access and stronger public education campaigns, Cebu and Bohol may continue to see rising infections in the coming years.

For healthcare workers on the frontlines, the numbers already reflect a public health emergency that can no longer be ignored.

“The cases are no longer isolated,” one advocate said. “The virus is already present in every town in Bohol. What is needed now is urgent and decisive action.”