Shanghai municipal health bureau released a report here Thursday, saying the city has confirmed 356 HIV-infectious cases as of Nov. 20 this year.

The report said that among the HIV-carriers, more than 80 percent are male citizens.

Sex intercourse is detected to be the major spread channel of the virus, accounting for 64.1 percent, while 12.8 percent of the HIV-positive people were infected with the disease through drug use.

Shanghai reported its first HIV-infectious case in 1987 and the gross number of HIV-carriers in the city amounts to 1506, among whom 77 died.

An official with the bureau said Shanghai has already taken a series of measures in HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Currently, 21 organizations in Shanghai has provided free HIV-related consultation and virus tests, with more than 2,000 people having received the such tests.

(Xinhua News Agency December 2, 2005)