Department of Health, DOH, Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric Tayag told the Philippine media that there is a strong likelihood that the number of Filipinos with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will reach 45,000 by 2015. As of April 2011, a total of 6,669 cases have been reported and listed at the National HIV and AIDS Registry, since it started monitoring in January 1984.

Other AIDS statistics:

– 171 new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases were reported in April, up by 11 percent from the 154 posted in the same month last year

– 654 new HIV infections have detected so far this year

– 97 percent of all new HIV cases this 2011 resulted from unprotected sexual contact

– Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) comprised 24 percent or 1,596 of all cases in the National HIV and AIDS Registry as of April 30

– In Asia and the Pacific, the 2009 figure was 4.9 million people living with HIV, including about 360,000 who became newly infected that year.