Press Release

CHP reviews local HIV/AIDS situation in second quarter of 2015

25 August 2015

A total of 179 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 second quarter of 2015, bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections to 7 345 since 1984.

Reviewing the HIV/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) situation in Hong Kong at a press conference today (August 25), 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 HIV-infected people will progress to AIDS within 10 years," he said.

"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 179 HIV cases reported in this quarter, 100 acquired the infection via homosexual or bisexual contact, 32 via heterosexual contact, three through drug injection and one by perinatal transmission. The routes of transmission of the remaining 43 cases have yet to be determined due to inadequate information.

The 179 cases comprise 155 males and 24 females.

The newly diagnosed cases of the second quarter of 2015 were mainly reported by three major sources: public hospitals and clinics (66 cases), private hospitals and clinics (34 cases) and the DH's Social Hygiene Clinics (31 cases).

In addition, 31 new cases of AIDS were reported in this quarter, bringing to 1 607 the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported since 1985. Among the new cases, 45 per cent were attributed to homosexual or bisexual contact and 45 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, 113 of them (63 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 (This link will open in a new windowwww.aids.gov.hk).