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A total of 154 additional cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection were reported to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) in the first quarter of 2014, bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections to 6 496 since 1984.
Reviewing the HIV/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) situation in Hong Kong at a press conference today (May 27), the Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the CHP, Dr Wong Ka-hing, said that sexual transmission had remained the major mode of HIV transmission.
Dr Wong stressed the importance of proper use of condoms in reducing the risk of contracting HIV.
"HIV is the cause of AIDS and, without treatment, about half of the HIV-infected people will progress to AIDS within 10 years," he remarked.
"Members of the public with a history of unsafe sex should take an HIV antibody test early. They can call the DH's AIDS hotline (2780 2211) for a free, anonymous and confidential HIV test," Dr Wong said.
Of the 154 HIV cases reported in this quarter, 84 acquired the infection via homosexual or bisexual contact, 22 via heterosexual contact and one through drug injection. The routes of transmission of the remaining 47 cases had yet to be determined due to inadequate information.
The 154 cases comprised 133 males and 21 females.
The newly diagnosed cases of the first quarter of 2014 were mainly reported by three major sources: public hospitals and clinics (47 cases), AIDS service organisations (32 cases) and the DH's AIDS Unit (28 cases).
Twenty new cases of AIDS were reported in this quarter, bringing to 1 457 the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1985. Fifty per cent were attributed to homosexual or bisexual contact and another 35 per cent were related to heterosexual contact.
In this quarter, the most common AIDS-defining illness was Pneumocystis Pneumonia, a kind of chest infection.
Of the newly reported cases in the first quarter of this year, 105 of them (68 per cent) had already received HIV specialist services at the DH or the Hospital Authority.
Members of the public can obtain a wide range of HIV/AIDS-related information from the DH's AIDS website (www.aids.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:18
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