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A total of 119 cases of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections were reported in the third quarter of 2008 to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections to 3 941 since 1984.
Speaking at a press conference today (December 4), the Senior Medical Officer (Special Preventive Programme) of CHP, Dr Ho Lei-ming said that 32 new cases of AIDS were reported in the same quarter, bringing to 998 the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1985.
Dr Ho stressed the importance of using condoms and the practice of safer sex in reducing the risk of HIV infection. HIV is the cause of AIDS and, without treatment, half of the HIV-infected people will progress to AIDS within 10 years.
He called on people who had a history of unprotected sex to have an HIV test.
"They can call the Department of Health AIDS Hotline on 2780 2211 for a free, anonymous and confidential HIV test,ˇ¨ he said.
Dr Ho said that the predominant route of HIV transmission in the third quarter of 2008 was still sexual contact.
The 119 new cases comprised 97 males and 22 females.
Of these cases, 35 acquired the infection via heterosexual contact, 34 via homosexual or bisexual contact, 14 cases of injection drug use and one case of blood/blood product infusion. The routes of transmission of the remaining 35 cases were undetermined due to insufficient data.
The majority of the newly diagnosed cases of this quarter were reported by four major sources: public hospitals and clinics (52 cases), private hospitals and clinics (28 cases), the Department of Healthˇ¦s Social Hygiene Clinics (16 cases), and AIDS Counselling and Testing Service (10 cases).
Seventy-five (63%) of the patients received care at the HIV specialist services of the Department of Health or the Hospital Authority.
In this quarter, the most common AIDS-defining illness was Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (TB).
People can obtain a wide range of HIV/AIDS related information from the AIDS website (http://www.aids. gov.hk).
Ends/Thursday, December 4, 2008
Issued at HKT 13:01
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