5 Hong Kong sex workers contract HIV in past 10 months, concerned health officials investigate if clients have been infected too
- Infections are uncommon in women sex workers, says head of public health services branch of the Centre for Health protection
- Preliminary findings suggested that the women were infected locally through ‘high-risk heterosexual contacts with unprotected sex’
Five sex workers in Hong Kong contracted HIV in the past 10 months, which is “unusual” according to health officials, as they investigate if more prostitutes and clients are also infected.
Dr Wong Ka-hing, head of the public health services branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said the new HIV infections among woman sex workers recorded between August in 2021 and June this year were “worthy of concern” and “unusual”.
“We have been studying the prevalence rate [of HIV among female sex workers] from time to time. We rarely find HIV infections. Not a single one out of hundreds,” he said.
“We also have never seen a few cases that involved female sex workers emerging within a short period of time.”
The Department of Health said they received no reports of new HIV infections involving women sex workers in the five years before August 2021.
Wong said the women, who were all Chinese and aged between 51 and 63, had been involved in commercial sex activities mostly in the Yau Tsim Mong and Sham Shui Po districts.
“One of them was diagnosed after showing symptoms of HIV seroconversion, meaning acute infection, including fever and rashes. The remaining four patients were diagnosed through testing and had no symptoms,” he said.
“The four had negative test results three to 19 months before being diagnosed. This is important because it shows that their infections are new.”