MHRP works extensively with WRAIR-AFRIMS, a Special Foreign Activity of WRAIR, which has been conducting research in the Philippines since 2011 and has an established relationship with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The Philippines is experiencing the fastest-growing HIV epidemic in the Western Pacific region. While HIV is declining globally, from 2012 to 2023 there was a 411% increase in daily incidence reported to the HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines.
Working closely with AFRIMS, MHRP and local partners in Manila, Philippines, began a study called the Multinational Observational Cohort of HIV and other Infections (MOCHI) in 2022. This study facilitates preparedness for future HIV and STI prevention studies by estimating HIV and STI incidence in populations at risk, tracking the evolution of risk and healthcare-seeking behaviors, building site capacity, evaluating recruitment and retention capacity at participating sites, and maintaining relationships with communities affected by HIV and other STIs.
MOCHI is conducted in collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the LoveYourself non-governmental organization, and other regional stakeholders in the HIV response. The Philippines site is the third to launch the MOCHI study to characterize the regional incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); the study is already underway at sites in Kenya and Uganda.
Military-to-military PEPFAR expansion
The launch of MOCHI follows upon the 2021 expansion of MHRP implementation of the President’s Emergency Plan for AID Relief (PEPFAR) into the Philippines. MHRP, along with the Armed Forces Research Institute for Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) and the Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP), provide military-to-military HIV prevention, care and treatment services in close collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The primary aim is to help the AFP reach sustainable HIV epidemic control by strengthening the military capacity to establish policies and systems to provide quality HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and laboratory services anchored in the Victoriano Luna Medical Center. These activities directly contribute to building a sustainable AFP-wide HIV program.
The collaboration also helps inform HIV policy updates. In spring 2024, the AFP Chief of Staff officially approved HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Guidelines, marking the culmination of two years of effort by a steering committee, with the guidance and support of the PEPFAR Philippines team.
Of significance is the removal of dismissal based on HIV status; any AFP service member who acquires HIV during active service will be assured of continued opportunity to serve if all other fitness standards are met. In addition, the policy now extends HIV services not only to military personnel, but also to military dependents, civilian human resources and authorized civilians.