Pia Wurtzbach Pushing For Lower Age Of Consent For HIV Testing

UNAIDS Ambassador for the Asia Pacific Pia Wurtzbach makes public her first advocacy under the program. She wants to lower the age of consent for HIV testing in the Philippines to 16 years old.

In an ABS-CBN interview, Pia says that the law has to adjust to what is “going on in the real world.” The reality is that more and more teenagers are sexually active. Lowering the age limit allows for these teenagers to get themselves tested.

HIV Statistics Show Alarming 26 Cases Daily

According to the Department of Health’s HIV monitoring, a record 26 cases of HIV are reported daily, since June 2016. Aside from this alarming rate, recent reports also show that the number of cases in the age group 15-24 years is also increasing.

As of February 2017, 849 new cases were recorded in the HIV/AIDS & ART Registry of the Philippines or HARP. Compared to last year’s record of 751, this year marked a 13% per cent increase in the number of cases. Of these 849, 89 per cent did not show any symptoms. More than half or 442 cases belonged to the 25-34 age group, while 30 per cent or 251 cases were between 15-24 years of age.

Alarm bells are being raised because more and more cases are being reported coming from this very young age group. According to the Inquirer, age-appropriate sex education would have alleviated this somewhat. But with the Supreme Court blocking the Reproductive Health law’s full implementation, this may be far from happening.

Pia To Use Social Media In Her Advocacy

Pia, however, takes on her new role seriously. She says that she will make use of social media to communicate her message. She also notes that she will “not overwhelm people with information.” The important message she wants to convey is for people to get themselves tested, and if they find out that they have HIV, they should take the next step to treatment.

She herself had her first HIV test June last year and she intends to take her next test in Manila anytime this year.