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Mary Ann Benitez

Hong Kong reported 414 new HIV cases last year, the most in any year since surveillance began and 11 per cent more  than in 2006,  when there were 373  cases.
The new cases bring the total number of HIV cases recorded in the city since 1984 to 3,612, of whom 934 have developed Aids.
Department of Health consultant Wong Ka-hing said  transmission through homosexual and bisexual contact was increasing faster than heterosexual cases.
'In 2005, for the first time men having sex with men surpassed heterosexual sex as a route of transmission. It ...  became more prominent last year,' Dr Wong said.
Most transmissions of these cases were occurring in Hong Kong, unlike heterosexually spread HIV, which in many cases was contracted outside the city.
Department surveillance found that the HIV rate was 4 per cent among men having sex with men, 1.1 per cent in sexually transmitted disease-clinics and 2.3 per cent in methadone clinics, Dr Wong said. Of last year's 414 cases, 168 were through homosexual or bisexual contact, 103 were acquired via heterosexual exposure and 43 by injecting drugs.
There were two cases of blood or blood product transmission, and one case of mother to child transmission. The source of transmission was undetermined in 97 cases.
Dr Wong said last year's homosexual transmission was particularly worrying because of the discovery of three clusters of  men who had  genetically linked infections. The men were found to have the B sub-type of HIV, which is the most common strain among men having sex with men around the world.
Dr Wong said  a Centre for Health Protection study involving 33 of the infected men identified risk factors  associated with the spread.
These included a history of other sexually transmitted diseases, a history of using the internet to source sex partners, participating in sex parties and the use of recreational drugs.
'There is a rapid spread of HIV in the men having sex with men [MSM] community,' Dr Wong said. 'The data suggests that the virus incidence in this community is much higher.'
Condom use among  this group  was lower than among female sex workers and  heterosexuals.
'The challenge is big ... there have been no effective measures proven to reduce or halt the spread of HIV among the MSM community,' he said. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection has become the most common Aids-defining illness.



Homosexual sex in the spotlight as HIV sees highest annual rise