HIV awareness must be made more understandable for young adults

Durex Philippines recently launched its Always Come Prepared campaign that aims create HIV awareness and help prevent it. Key organizations--UNAIDS, Love Yourself, and advocates from the medical field, and Boys Night Out (BNO), joined hands with Durex on its mission to curb HIV in the country. (L-R) BNO's Slick Rick, Reckitt Benckiser Read for regulatory Atty. Ricky Salvador, Sex Therapist Dr. Rica Cruz, UNAIDS Country Director for the Philippines Dr. Louie Ocampo, Reckitt Benckiser General Manager Chris Ritchie, Infectious Diseases Expert Dr. Marion Kwek, Love Yourself and Safe Spaces advocate Losif Cadelina, and BNO's Toni Tony and Sam YG.

Only 15 percent of young adults aged 15 to 24 years old have knowledge about HIV prevention, a UNAIDS Philippines study showed. The lack of an extensive sex education in the curriculum is seen as a contributing factor—directly or indirectly—to the country’s high HIV growth rate.

Durex launches campaign to curb rising HIV cases in the country

Globally, the incidence of new transmissions of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has slowed down. In the Philippines, however, official data from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) show that there has been a 174 percent increase in HIV cases since 2010.

“There is an urgent and pressing need to curb the infection. While the rest of the world has decreasing rates, we are going the opposite way. This is something that is very alarming,” said Karol Canlas, Brand Manager of Durex Philippines.