At least 340 new HIV cases have been reported in Shenzhen during
the past seven months, bringing the city's total number of reported
HIV infections to 2,356, the municipal disease control and
prevention center said Thursday.
Among them, 495 have been confirmed as having AIDS and 78 have
died of the disease.
Statistics from the center showed the number of new confirmed
HIV cases has increased by nearly 60 percent on average annually
since 1992, when the city confirmed its first HIV infection.
"Of the 2,356 HIV cases reported, 54.5 percent of the people
were infected by injecting drugs and 33.8 percent via heterosexual
contact," said Cheng Jinquan, director of the disease control and
prevention center, Thursday.
"Some 1,762 of the reported HIV cases, or 74.8 percent, involve
male carriers of the virus. Most are migrants and very few have a
high level of education," Cheng said.
To educate migrant workers in Bao'an and Longgang districts, the
bureau has invited veteran actor Pu Cunxin to publicize the city's
anti-HIV drive. Pu will popularize anti-AIDS knowledge among
migrant workers Friday and Saturday.
Pu urged people with a history of unprotected sex to go for an
HIV test, and reminded them to use condoms for safer sex to reduce
the risk of HIV infection.
(Shenzhen Daily August 31, 2007)