I almost forgot. March 29 marked my first year as a person living with HIV. Though I still lack my second CD4 count, I am still thankful for surviving a year without co-infections or a need for hospitalization (and I am still not required to take ARVs as my initial CD4 count last June 2012 was 518). I thank you Lord for giving me another chance in life. Last year was bittersweet, but I gradually realized its essence. Extend my life, Lord, as I still have tasks to accomplish for my family. I apologize for my faults to some people, and I thank you for the friends I met along the way. :-...

Associated Press/Johns Hopkins Medicine - This image provided by Johns Hopkins Medicine shows Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins' Children's Center in Baltimore. WASHINGTON (AP) — A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2½ and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection. There's no guarantee the child will remain healthy, although sophisticated testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering. If so, it would mark only the world's second reported cure. Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major...

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines In January 2013, there were 380 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 79% higher compared to the same period last year. Mos of the cases (93%) were males. The median age was 27 years (age range: 17-62 years). The 20-29 year (61%) age-group had the most number of cases. Reported modes of transmission were sexual contact (376) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (4). Males having sex with other males (82%) were the predominant type of sexual transmission. Most (93%) of the cases were still asymptomatic at the time...

Newly Diagnosed HIV Cases in the Philippines In December 2012, there were 293 new HIV Ab sero-positive individuals confirmed by the STD/AIDS Cooperative Central Laboratory (SACCL) and reported to the HIV and AIDS Registry. This was 9% higher compared to the same period last year. Most of the cases (97%) were males. The median age was 28 years (age range: 18-70 years). The 20-29 year (57%) age-group had the most number of cases. Fifty-two percent (152) of the reported cases were from the National Capital Region (NCR). Reported mode of transmission were sexual contact (288) and needle sharing among injecting drug users (5). Males having sex with other males (83%) were the predominant...

The Philippines posted its highest ever increase in the number of new HIV infections in January and the number is expected to increase even further in the near future, a Department of Health (DOH) official said on Friday. Health Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag said the DOH recorded 380 new HIV cases in January—the highest increase since the government began monitoring HIV/AIDS cases in 1984—even as many sexually-active Filipinos continue to avoid having themselves tested for the virus. Tayag urged sexually-active Filipinos to always carry and use condoms, adding that unsafe sexual practices like “bareback orgies” among men who have sex with men (MSM) were to blame for the worsening...