Health Risks Brief: 2025 2nd Quarter

Executive Summary

Health-Related Laws, Policies, and Regulations

• The bicameral conference committee has opted to defer the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law until the 20th Congress. The deferment allows Congress to have additional time to review the financial and operational impacts of the proposed amendments. In the meantime, current provisions under the existing UHC Law will remain in effect.
• The proposed Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines (VIP) Act has been transmitted to the Office of the President for final approval or veto. The measure seeks to establish a dedicated virology research center attached to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that will be focused on virus research, diagnostics, and vaccine development.

Local Disease Updates

• At least six cases of melioidosis, with two fatalities, have been recorded in the province of Siquijor as of June 2025. These cases were all initially reported as glanders before further confirmatory testing. Though rare, melioidosis is prevalent in tropical regions such as Southeast Asia. The disease is not contagious between humans but poses a significant public and animal health risk.
• The Department of Health (DOH) has assured the public that all recorded Mpox (monkeypox) cases in the Philippines remain mild and manageable, with no reported detection yet of the more severe Clade I or Ib strains of the virus. The most recent DOH data from May 2025 confirmed that a total of 911 cases have been reported since 2024, with the majority attributed to Clade II, a less fatal and self-limiting variant of the virus.

International Disease Updates

• The beginning of the second quarter of 2025 saw a surge in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in most parts of the world, notably in Southeast Asia. The variant that caused the surge, NB 1.8.1, descended from the Omicron variant and was first detected in China and other parts of Asia as early as January 2025. Amid the earlier surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the public health risk as low at the global level and noted that current vaccines remain effective against the new variant.
• The WHO notes that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major global public health issue, with 44.1 million lives affected to date. Here in the Philippines, advocates have urged the declaration of HIV as a public health emergency as authorities recorded a 550 percent increase in cases over a 14-year period. Fifty-seven cases have been recorded daily since the beginning of 2025, and first quarter data showed that one-third of the newly diagnosed HIV cases was among young Filipinos aged 15 to 24 years old.

Weather and Natural Disaster Health Risks

• The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the onset of the 2025 rainy season last June 2 due to the Southwest Monsoon, locally called “habagat.” Businesses operating in the Philippines should anticipate extended periods of heavy rainfall, localized flooding, and thunderstorm activity over the coming months. The prevalence of seasonal, “WILD” diseases among the general public is also anticipated during this season, particularly as these illnesses are associated with heavy rains and flooding.