HIV symptoms, testing and treatment: a guide for Filipinos

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks the immune system, the body's defence against germs. Over time, the body finds it harder to fight illnesses such as tuberculosis (TB), other infections and some cancers.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is the most advanced stage of HIV, now often called advanced HIV. Without treatment, HIV can lead to AIDS after some years.

There is no cure yet, but with daily medicines people with HIV can live long and healthy lives.

HIV in the Philippines. The country has the fastest-growing number of HIV cases in the Asia-Pacific region: about 4,400 new cases in 2010 and 29,600 in 2024. In 2025, at least 57 Filipinos a day found out they have HIV, and in early 2025 a third of new diagnoses were young people aged 15 to 24. In March 2025, only about 55% of Filipinos thought to have HIV had been diagnosed.

The signs of HIV differ from person to person. Many people feel well for years, so many people with HIV don't know they have it.

Early symptoms. Some people get a short flu-like illness about 2 to 6 weeks after getting HIV:

• fever, headache and sore throat
• skin rash
• swollen glands (kulani) in the neck, armpits or groin
• muscle aches, tiredness and night sweats

These usually pass within 2 to 4 weeks. Others get no symptoms. The same signs are common with flu and other illnesses, so symptoms alone cannot show whether someone has HIV. Only a test can.

The quiet stage. Then there are often no symptoms for years, but the virus keeps harming the immune system and can still be passed on. HIV spreads most easily in the first months after infection.

Later symptoms. Swollen glands that stay, weight loss without trying, fever that keeps coming back, diarrhea that lasts, or a cough that won't go away.

Advanced HIV (AIDS). Without treatment, serious illnesses can follow: TB, pneumonia, a brain infection called cryptococcal meningitis, severe bacterial infections and some cancers.

HIV spreads when certain body fluids of a person with HIV get into another person's body: blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk.

HIV can spread through:

• vaginal or anal sex without a condom, the most common way HIV spreads; oral sex without a condom can also pass it
• sharing needles or syringes for injecting drugs
• mother to baby during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding, if the mother is not on treatment
• unsafe injections, unscreened blood, or unsterilized tools that cut or pierce the skin
• an accidental needle-stick injury, for example at work in a clinic or hospital

Having another sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as syphilis or herpes, raises the risk. So does sex under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

HIV does not spread through kissing, hugging, shaking hands, sharing food, drinks, cups or utensils, or sharing a toilet seat.

A person whose HIV treatment keeps the virus "undetectable" cannot pass HIV to sexual partners. Undetectable means the virus in the blood is too low for tests to measure.

You cannot tell if someone has HIV by looking at them, or tell from how you feel. Get tested if any of these apply to you. If they keep happening, test at least once a year:

• you have had sex without a condom, especially with a new partner or more than one partner
• your partner has HIV, or you don't know their status
• you are a man who has sex with men, or a woman whose partner has sex with men
• you have sex for money or drugs
• you have shared needles
• you have, or recently had, another STI
• you have TB, or have had hepatitis
• you were forced to have sex

Some men who have sex with men may need to test more often. If you are pregnant, ask for an HIV test at your prenatal check-ups: treatment greatly lowers the chance of passing HIV to the baby.

Where to get tested. Ask at your city or municipal health office, a social hygiene clinic, a DOH HIV treatment hub or a community-based testing center. Testing is often free at government and community sites. Private hospitals and laboratories may charge, so ask first. Find a site near you, ask your barangay health station or RHU, or ask our care navigator.

Your test is private. Health workers must keep your test, result and treatment private under the Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11166) and the Data Privacy Act. Some sites let you test without giving your name. From age 15, the law lets you get an HIV test and treatment without your parents' consent.

What happens:

1. A counselor talks with you in private about HIV and the test.
2. Staff take a drop of blood from your finger, or blood from your arm. No fasting is needed.
3. A rapid test gives a result in about 30 minutes or less; lab tests take a few days.
4. The counselor explains the result and next steps.

The window period. No test finds HIV right after infection. Most people show up on a test within about 4 weeks, some only after 3 months. If you test soon after a risk, you may need to test again later. Babies of mothers with HIV need a different test until 18 months old.

An HIV self-test lets you test yourself in private, using saliva or a drop of blood from your finger, with a result in minutes.

• Choose a kit clearly made for self-testing, sealed and undamaged, from a treatment hub, community testing center or pharmacy you trust. Ask whether it is registered with the FDA Philippines.
• Follow the instructions exactly.
• A reactive (positive) self-test must be confirmed at a testing site or treatment hub.
• A negative result soon after a risk may be too early. Test again later, and see PEP if the risk was in the last 72 hours.

Negative (non-reactive) means no sign of HIV was found. If your risk was in the last few weeks, test again later. See how to stay negative.

Reactive (positive) on a first test means you may have HIV. In the Philippines it is confirmed by more rapid tests or a lab test from a DOH-certified laboratory, which your testing site arranges. You are usually tested once more before starting treatment.

If HIV is confirmed, it is normal to feel shocked or scared. The treatment hub offers counseling and helps you start treatment, decide whom to tell, and reach past partners who may need a test. If you think of hurting yourself, call the NCMH crisis line now: 1553 from a landline in Luzon, or 0917 899 8727 from a mobile.

PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is an emergency course of HIV medicines that can stop an infection after a possible exposure. It must start within 72 hours (3 days); the sooner, the better.

Go right away to a hospital emergency room or an HIV treatment hub and ask for PEP if, in the last 72 hours, you had sex without a condom (or the condom broke) with someone who may have HIV, shared needles, were sexually assaulted, or had a needle-stick injury at work. Every hour counts. The doctor will check whether PEP is right for you.

You will need HIV tests during and after PEP. PEP is for emergencies; ask about PrEP if you are often at risk.

HIV is treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), medicines that stop the virus from multiplying so the immune system can recover. ART does not cure HIV.

• Start as soon as possible. DOH guidelines say everyone with confirmed HIV should start ART, however well they feel.
• Take it every day, for life. It usually takes about 6 months for the virus to become undetectable. Never stop, skip or share your medicines.
• Regular check-ups include a viral load test to see how well treatment works, other blood tests, TB checks, and hepatitis B screening and vaccination if needed. Consultations can be at the hub, by home visit or by telemedicine.
• Undetectable means untransmittable: you cannot pass HIV to sexual partners.

ART is given at DOH-designated HIV treatment hubs and primary HIV care clinics. Your testing site can refer you. TB is one of the most serious illnesses linked to HIV, so tell your hub about any cough that lasts. See our TB symptoms guide.

Medicines. In 2018 the DOH said it gives HIV treatment for free. In 2025, UNAIDS reported that the government buys almost all HIV medicines and supplies, including PrEP. Ask your hub what is free there.

PhilHealth OHAT package. As of December 2025, PhilHealth's Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) package pays your accredited treatment hub up to ₱58,500 a year for your outpatient care, up from ₱30,000. It covers ART, adherence counseling, consultations (including teleconsultations), viral load and other monitoring tests, TB screening, and care to prevent infections linked to HIV. As of September 2026, PhilHealth listed 342 accredited outpatient HIV treatment providers (257 government and 85 private). PhilHealth members and dependents whose HIV was confirmed by a DOH-certified laboratory can use the package at an accredited, DOH-designated facility. If you qualify for PhilHealth's No Balance Billing policy, you should pay nothing extra for covered services at a government HIV treatment facility.

Hospital stays and TB. A hospital stay falls under your regular PhilHealth inpatient benefit; the hospital's Malasakit Center can help with the rest. TB treatment uses the separate TB-DOTS package, which you can use at the same time. See what PhilHealth covers.

Privacy. PhilHealth handles OHAT claims as confidential, and your hub needs your signed consent before it shares your information with PhilHealth.

• Use a condom every time you have vaginal, anal or oral sex. Use a water-based lubricant; oil, lotion or baby oil can make condoms break.
• Ask about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) if you are at higher risk. PrEP is HIV medicine taken by people without HIV to keep from getting it. In the Philippines it was added to the national drug formulary, and the government buys it. Ask at a treatment hub or community clinic. You need an HIV test before you start and regular HIV tests while you take it. PrEP does not protect against other STIs, so keep using condoms.
• Test regularly, and get other STIs tested and treated.
• Never share needles.
• Treatment is prevention: a partner who stays undetectable on ART does not pass HIV on through sex.
• For men, WHO lists circumcision (tuli) as a way to lower the risk. It does not replace condoms.

"Bakla lang ang nagkaka-HIV." (Only gay men get HIV.) In the Philippines HIV has spread fastest among young men who have sex with men, but anyone who has sex without a condom or shares needles can get HIV. You cannot tell by looking at someone.

"Nakakahawa sa pagsalo sa pagkain o sa CR." (You catch it from shared food or toilets.) No. Everyday contact does not spread HIV.

"Malalaman ng pamilya o trabaho ko." (My family or work will find out.) Health workers must keep your test, result and treatment private by law, and PhilHealth handles HIV claims confidentially.

"Wala nang pag-asa." (HIV is a death sentence.) Not anymore. With daily treatment, most people with HIV live long, healthy lives.

"May herbal na nakakagaling." (An herbal remedy cures it.) No herbal product, supplement or online "cure" works against HIV. Only ART controls it. See our guide to reliable health information.