MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines has a lowerincidence of HIV than most of its neighbors despite sharing many ofthe risks, but health officials warned on Thursday that many newcases were now coming to light.

A spate of new HIV cases suggests that the Philippines’situation might be more accurately described as “hidden andgrowing,” said Mario Villaverde, an undersecretary in theDepartment of Health.

“More recent statistics have already indicted a more or lessabrupt change in the number of people afflicted,” he said, on thesidelines of a conference on HIV/AIDS in nine Asian countriesdeemed to have low prevalence of the disease.

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