http://thestandard.com.hk/news_d ... 3359&con_type=1
Mainland-linked HIV cases a dark spot
Mary Ann Benitez
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Cases of Hong Kong men catching HIV in the mainland are rising despite a slight drop in overall infections last year.
There were 389 HIV cases in the SAR last year, down from 396 in 2009.
The slight increase in the number of Hong Kong men who acquired HIV across the border is a concern, said Department of Health consultant Wong Ka-hing.
Of the 2,007 HIV infections from 2006 to 2010, nearly 9 percent occurred in the mainland. Forty percent took place in Hong Kong and 17 percent in other places. The remainder were undetermined.
"We see an uptrend in mainland-related HIV cases over the past few years, though those are not significant increases," Wong said.
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Most of the mainland-related infections involved heterosexual men. Last year 19 heterosexual men got infected in the mainland, compared with 17 in both 2009 and 2008.
Ten homosexual men were infected in the mainland last year, up from five in each of the two previous years.
Wong said cooperation with mainland authorities will be stepped up, and education on the use of condoms strengthened.
"It is important to be aware of the situation, and to take precautions, not only in Hong Kong, but also outside Hong Kong when there is sexual contact," he said, adding there is no cause for complacency despite the slight drop in new HIV infections last year.
"Every year now, we have 400 new HIV reports. That means we have one case every day. It certainly means there is a lot of work to be done. We have to focus our efforts," Wong said.
He added that HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men will continue to increase.
"The HIV infection rate of men who have sex with men is over 4 percent," Wong said. "As far as we know, about 40 percent of males having sex with the same male partners have used condoms, while those who have different sex partners using condoms is 60 percent."
He said targeting the gay population for HIV prevention is "very challenging and difficult."
In 2010, 161 heterosexual and bisexual men in Hong Kong were diagnosed with HIV, compared with 158 in 2009.
Since 1984, a total of 3,832 people in Hong Kong have been diagnosed with HIV. Of these, 1,185 developed AIDS.
