HIV AIDS and the Development Context

HIV and AIDS in the Philippines: The Development Context

Introduction

HIV and AIDS prevalence in the Philippines has been described as "low and slow" with a prevalence rate of less than one percent in the country's general population. However, experts now talk about the country's HIV and AIDS situation as possibly being "hidden and growing." The Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) reports that HIV infection in the country has been significantly picking up pace since 2000. With an average of 20 people being infected with HIV every month, the current rate of new case reports is at least twice that observed in the 1990s. The last quarter for 2005 saw 2,410 documented HIV infections, (718) 30 percent of which are AIDS cases.

The recent evidence portrays a new picture of HIV and AIDS in the Philippines and comes as a timely challenge to our current understanding its extent in the country. It is a good opportunity to step up vigilance and awareness of the epidemic, expand local responses, and analyze its implications to development. Still, the fact remains that the country was able to sustain a fairly low level of the epidemic for a significant number of years. This is attributed to early recognition of the epidemic, exemplified by multi-sectoral responses by government agencies and non-government organizations to increase public awareness and fight discrimination.

Health Action Information Network (HAIN)'s Philippine Country Profile 2005 on the HIV and AIDS situation in the Philippines documents reviews key development indicators affecting the response to HIV and AIDS, and includes vital statistics on the socio-economic situation and the health care system.

HIV, AIDS and Development

A 2000 study conducted by the Health Action Information Network (HAIN) reveals that HIV and AIDS have significant implications on development in the Philippines. It reports that the interaction between HIV and AIDS, and development is a two-way process: lack of development increases susceptibility and vulnerability to HIV and AIDS; conversely, an unmonitored spread of HIV and AIDS can put significant stress on the country's meager resources and cripple its poverty reduction strategies.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was first developed by the United Nations and has since been adopted by governments throughout the world as a guide for development planning, as well as to monitor and evaluate a country's progress. The Philippine government recognizes the importance of HIV and AIDS prevention and care as a development issue, with HIV and AIDS prevalence as one of the key indicators for measuring progress in attaining the MDGs as reflected in its Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) for 2005-2010.

Table 1: Millennium Development Goals; Rate of Progress

Millenium Development Goals Baseline (1990 or year closest to 1990) Current Level (2002 /2003) Target by 2015 1/ Average Rate of Progress (1990 -2002) Required Rate of Progress (2002 /2003 -2015) Ratio of required Rate to Average Rate (1=b/a) Eradicate Extreme poverty and hunger   Proportion of Population below:     Subsistence (food) 24.3 a/ 13.8 f/ 12.15 -0.88 -0.14 0.16   Threshold poverty threshold 45.3 a/ 30.4 f/ 22.65 -1.24 -0.65 0.52 Proportion of families below:     Subsistence (food) 20.4 a/ 10.4 f/ 10.2 -0.83 -0.02 0.02   Threshold poverty threshold 39.9 a/ 24.7 f/ 19.95 -1.27 -0.40 0.31 Prevalence of Malnutrition     Among 0-5 year old children (% underweight) - Based on international Reference standards 34.5 27.6 17.25 -0.53 -0.86 1.63 Proportion of households with     Per capita Intake below 100% dietary Energy requirement 69.4 b/ 56.9 34.7 -1.25 -1.85 1.48 Achieve Universal Primary Education   Elementary Participation rate 4/ 85.1 a/ 90.05 100 0.45 0.77 1.70 Elementary cohort survival rate 68.4 a/ 69.8 83.3 0.13 1.04 8.16 Promote gender equality and empower women   Number of girls per 100 boys:     Elementary education 95.8 c/ 101.8 e/ 100 1.00 -0.14 -0.14   Secondary education 104.5 c/ 115.9 e/ 100 1.90 -1.22 -0.64 Reduce child mortality   Under-5-mortality rate (per 1,000 children) 80 40 26.7 -3.08 -1.11 0.36 Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 57 29 19 -2.15 -0.83 0.39 Improve maternal health   Maternal mortality rate 209 172 d/ 52.2 -4.63 -7.05 1.52 Increase access to reproductive health services   Prevalence of men and women / couples 40 b/ 48.9 70 0.89 1.76 1.98 Practicing responsible parenthood HIV prevalence < 1% < % < 1% 0.00 0.00 0.00 Halt and begin to reserve the incident of malaria and other diseases   Malaria morbidity rate (per 100,000 population) 123 48 242 -5.77 -1.83 0.32 Provide basic amenities   Proportion of families with access to safe Drinking water (percentage) 73.7 a/ 80 86.8 0.57 0.52 0.91

The socio-economic impact of HIV and AIDS may seem minimal because of the low prevalence rate of HIV in the country. However, because of our large population, even at a low prevalence the management and treatment of HIV and AIDS may pose serious impediments to poverty reduction and economic development. As it is, even without the heavy burden of HIV, government funds for social services and health care are already very limited.

The impact of HIV and AIDS in the Philippines is more pressing at the micro-level than at the national level. Poor households are affected most due to inadequate access to basic social services, medical care and expensive HIV and AIDS medication. Results from the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) suggest that poorer and less educated people are at a greater risk for reproductive health problems. They have less access to health care and reproductive services, have less knowledge on HIV and AIDS prevention methods, and are more likely to engage in unprotected sexual activity at an early age.

Moreover, HIV's impact on households, families and communities is significant enough to threaten social cohesion and solidarity. Studies have shown that there is still much stigmatization and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS even among family members. Results from the NDHS 2003 reveal that only 31.5 percent of its respondents are willing to provide home care for a relative with AIDS.

Source: Philippines 2005 HIV AIDS Country Profile Health Action Information Network Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) and UNAIDS Philippines