Seventy-four persons were found positive in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) antibody tests in the fourth quarter of 2002, bringing the cumulative total number of reported HIV infections in Hong Kong to 2,015, Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) announced Monday.
Ten new Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases were reported in the same quarter. This brought to a total of 613 confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1985.
"HIV is spread through the main routes of sex (homosexual or heterosexual contact), needle-sharing among injection drug users and from infected mothers to their babies," Dr. S S Lee, consultant (Special Preventive Program) of DH said.
Of the 74 new HIV cases reported, 39 acquired the infection via heterosexual contacts and 15 via homosexual or bisexual contacts. Two cases involved injection drug users.
"The route of transmission of the remaining 18 cases were undetermined due to inadequate data," Lee said.
The 74 cases comprised 55 males and 19 females.
"Of the 2,015 cumulative total of HIV infections since 1984, around 81 percent of all have acquired the infection through sexual contact, with about 71 percent of them through hetero sexual transmission. Fifty-four infections have occurred among injection drug users," said Lee.
The ten new AIDS cases involved five males and five females. Sixty percent of them were related to heterosexual contact.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2003)
