At least 340 new HIV cases have been reported in Shenzhen during the past seven months, bringing the city's total number of reported HIV infections to 2,356, the municipal disease control and prevention center said Thursday.

Among them, 495 have been confirmed as having AIDS and 78 have died of the disease.

Statistics from the center showed the number of new confirmed HIV cases has increased by nearly 60 percent on average annually since 1992, when the city confirmed its first HIV infection.

"Of the 2,356 HIV cases reported, 54.5 percent of the people were infected by injecting drugs and 33.8 percent via heterosexual contact," said Cheng Jinquan, director of the disease control and prevention center, Thursday.

"Some 1,762 of the reported HIV cases, or 74.8 percent, involve male carriers of the virus. Most are migrants and very few have a high level of education," Cheng said.

To educate migrant workers in Bao'an and Longgang districts, the bureau has invited veteran actor Pu Cunxin to publicize the city's anti-HIV drive. Pu will popularize anti-AIDS knowledge among migrant workers Friday and Saturday.

Pu urged people with a history of unprotected sex to go for an HIV test, and reminded them to use condoms for safer sex to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

(Shenzhen Daily August 31, 2007)