MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday floated the idea of mandating tourists with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to testing before entering the country, citing concerns that sex tourism may be contributing to the rise in HIV cases in the Philippines.
In a radio interview, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said that some countries imposed strict entry measures on travelers with certain illnesses.
“As of today, the Philippines logs the highest number of cases, with 16 new cases a day, most of which are the youth, and a certain percentage that I still don’t know of may be coming from foreigners infecting our locals. Our workers, before flying overseas, are required to have an HIV test. Can’t we do that? ” Herbosa said.
This statement comes after Russian vlogger Nikita Chekhov went viral on social media after he threatened to spread HIV in the country.
Chekhov has since been detained at the Bureau of Immigration’s detention facility pending deportation proceedings.
The DOH said it administered an HIV test for the vlogger on Thursday after his arrest.
DOH Spokesman Albert Domingo told The Manila Times that it has yet to issue further information regarding this, as it is “an early announcement” from the agency.
