Descriptive Assessment of the Health-Seeking Behaviors of High-risk Groups for HIV/AIDS/STIs in Accessing the Services of Social Hygiene Clinics in Angeles City, Pampanga and Quezon City, Metro Manila

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in new cases of HIV/AIDS as reported by the Department of Health (DOH). As of the latest HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report from the Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry of the National Epidemiology Center of the DOH, the surge in the number of cases of HIV for the month of November 2011 alone is 89% higher compared to the same period from the previous year. In the same report, from January to November 2011, 96% of 2081 newly diagnosed cases were infected through sexual contact with a majority of male cases (1,859 males and 133 females infected through sexual transmission).