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A total of 104 cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections were reported in the first quarter of 2009 to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH), bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections to 4,151 since 1984.
Reviewing the AIDS situation in Hong Kong at a press conference today (May 26), Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the CHP Dr Wong Ka-hing said that sexual transmission continued to be the major mode of HIV spread in Hong Kong.
Dr Wong stressed the importance of using condoms and the practice of safe sex in reducing the risk of HIV infection.
ˇ§HIV is the cause of AIDS and, without treatment, half of the HIV-infected people will progress to AIDS within 10 years.
ˇ§People who have a history of unprotected sex should call the DH's AIDS hotline on 2780 2211 for a free, anonymous and confidential HIV test,ˇ¨ Dr Wong said.
Of the 104 HIV cases reported in the first quarter of 2009, 25 acquired the infection via heterosexual contact, 40 via homosexual or bisexual contact, two through drug injection, and two through mother-to-child transmission. The routes of transmission of the remaining 35 cases were undetermined due to inadequate information.
The 104 cases comprised 80 males and 24 females.
The newly diagnosed cases of this quarter were mainly reported by four major sources: public hospitals and clinics (41 cases), private hospitals and clinics (20 cases), the DH's Social Hygiene Clinics (17 cases), and AIDS service organisations (14 cases).
Seventeen new cases of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) were reported in the first quarter of 2009, bringing to 1,047 the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1985. Forty-one per cent of the new AIDS cases were related to heterosexual contact.
In this quarter, the most common AIDS-defining illness was pneumocystis pneumonia, a kind of chest infection.
The public can obtain a wide range of HIV/AIDS related information from the AIDS website (www.aids.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:34
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