Reported HIV infections have reached the highest number for any quarter on record, with 140 new cases reported in the city during the third quarter.

The latest figures, released by the Center for Health Protection (CHP) on Tuesday, surpass the 131 cases reported in the previous quarter, bringing the number of newly reported infections to 393 for the first nine months of the year. The city is on track to surpass last year's reported 438 cases, having already reached 90 percent of last year's total.

There have been 5,663 cases of HIV infection in the city since the Department of Health began record keeping in 1984.

CHP consultant Wong Ka-hing said sexual transmission remained the major mode of HIV transmission in Hong Kong.

"People who have a history of unprotected sex should call the Department of Health's AIDS hotline at 2780 2211 to arrange a free, anonymous and confidential HIV test," Wong said.

Referring to Vice-President Xi Jinping's recent outreach to AIDS patients last week, Dick van der Tak, acting chairman of Aids Concern - a non-government organization for AIDS-care and consultation, said, "We need to compliment the new leadership for efforts made ahead of World AIDS Day, for reaching out to the community and for setting an example that (HIV patients) deserve humane and free treatment and care."

"This includes access to anti-retroviral drugs to stablize and help HIV patients and help HIV infected people to lead more normal lives, but there is a big gap between efforts made at higher levels and realities on the ground."

"The fact that stigma and discrimination are still around may hold people back from coming forward for testing after they have had unsafe sex.It's important that people get tested immediately after an incident. The sooner you get tested, the better an appropriate medical response can be defined. Hong Kong's health system has come a long way.There is a very supportive network for people who are HIV positive, but some people with HIV remain hidden, out of fear for discrimination."

He said people who were sexually active could infect others and it was the social responsibility of those people to learn if they are HIV carriers.

Just over 47 percent of this year's new cases were acquired through homosexual and bisexual contact, while 28 cases came though heterosexual contact and a single case through intravenous drug use.

The provenance of 44 cases could not be determined, because of inadequate case histories.

Males made up an overwhelming number of the new cases, with 112 men infected, compared to 28 women.

The department of health said recent increases have been spurred by containing increases in infections among men who have sex with men.

Seventeen new cases of AIDS were reported this quarter, bringing the total number of HIV-turned AIDS sufferers to 1,328 since 1985.

Homosexual activity accounted for 59 percent of all new AIDS cases were while just over a third were from heterosexual contact.

tim@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 12/05/2012 page1)