HIV cases double
over three years in the Philippines

The number of HIV-positive Filipinos has doubled since 2002, according to the nation's health department, Agence France-Presse reports. The number of reported HIV cases climbed from about 6,000 in 2002 to 11,168 in 2005. Men who have sex with men, female sex workers, their male clients, and injection-drug users account for many of the new infections, according to health officials. But the disease is being widely reported among non-drug-using heterosexuals, indicating it has spread beyond specific risk groups into the general population, says health secretary Francisco Duque. (Advocate.com)