SURIGAO CITY  – The Department of Health in Caraga Region has recorded at least 53 cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in 2014.

The DOH said the number has been the highest recorded in the last 19 years since it started monitoring Hiv Cases.

April Rose Y. Serondo, HIV surveillance-assistant of DOH-Caraga, said that they have so far documented 153 persons with HIV in Caraga Region since 1995.

The document obtained by MindaNews from DOH-Caraga showed that Butuan City has the highest number of persons with HIV with a total of 61 people, 5 of whom have confirmed to have progressed into Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

This is followed by Surigao City with 11 HIV cases, 3 of whom have AIDS.

There are six people with HIV in Tandag City; six in San Francisco town in Agusan del Sur and five in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur.

In last year’s cases, records show that 22 are from Agusan del Norte, 11 from Surigao del Norte, 10 from Surigao del Sur, 9 from Surigao del Sur and 1 from Dinagat.

The DOH documented 31 people with HIV in 2013, 32 in 2012, and 19 in 2011.

Data also bared that 93 percent of the documented cases are males.

Most of HIV cases, or 68 persons, are people in the 25-34 age bracket. Next is the 15-24 age bracket with 55 cases, then 35-49 with 22 cases, and 8 cases for those above 50.

DOH data also show that most of the persons with HIV acquired it through sexual contact.

The DOH reported that in all of Caraga, 15 people have full blown AIDS. (Roel Catoto/Mindanews)