7-year-old boy afflicted by HIV in South Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 8 December) – A seven-year-old boy has tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes the deadly acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

John Arlo Codilla, head of the Disease Prevention and Control Unit of the South Cotabato Integrated Provincial Health Office, said last week the boy was the youngest of the 142 HIV cases recorded in different parts of the province from January to September 2025.

An NGO worker in Cagayan de Oro fixes the slide on HIV/AIDS situation in the Philippines. MindaNews photo by FROILAN GALLARDO

“We’ve ruled out the mother-to-child transmission since she was tested negative of HIV,” he said in Filipino.

Codilla said they are looking at the possibility that the child could have been infected with the virus through sexual abuse or exploitation.

Of the total HIV cases in South Cotabato this year, 134 are males and eight are females, he said.

Among the females, four are pregnant, he added.

Majority of the HIV cases belong to the 25-34 age bracket, followed by 15 to 24, Codilla noted.

The data tell us that the HIV cases in the province are young people of productive ages, he said.

Codilla said the province has recorded a total of 1,278 HIV cases over the years.

He called on sexually active individuals to take HIV test at the South Cotabato HIV AIDS Treatment Hub, noting that testing and treatment services are free.

For this year, he said the provincial government has allocated at least P19 million from its general fund for HIV prevention, control, and treatment—one of the highest provincial allocations in the country.

Codilla assured that the identities of individuals who take the HIV testing or the confirmed HIV patients are treated with utmost confidentiality to protect their privacy and dignity.

“Every test we conduct is secure and confidential. Our goal is to create a safe space where young people feel empowered to know their status,” he said.

Codilla said they continuously conduct HIV/AIDS public awareness campaigns in a bid to curb cases, targeting schools and communities. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)