The Philippine Congress approved HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018, where minors aged 15 years and older will no longer need their parents’ consent before they receive tests for HIV.
The will now land on President Rodrigo Duterte’s table.
Based on the data from the Department of Health (DOH) as of August 2018, nearly one in three cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) involved those between 15 to 24 years old.
DOH spokesman Dr. Enrico Domingo said that the main drivers of the increase in HIV cases are men aged 15 to 25.
World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific regional director Dr Shin Young-soo earlier urged the government to take actions as the Philippine numbers is the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific.
