A total of 11 new HIV cases were diagnosed in the first five months of the year, the Committee for the Fight Against AIDS has announced.
The committee, which is headed by Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng, held its first meeting this year.
A statement issued by the Health Bureau after Tuesday’s meeting points out that the 11 new HIV cases comprise 10 males and a female. While six of the infections were attributed to heterosexual contact, five were attributed to homosexual contact.
The statement underlined that the 11 HIV patients are undergoing treatment at the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre.
The statement quoted the committee’s secretary-general Leong Iek Hou as saying that the Health Bureau would continue its promotion of safe sex among male homosexuals, expand its free service of rapid HIV tests and encourage the installation of more condom vending machines in different neighbourhoods.
Tam urged the committee, which was set up in 2005, to continue its efforts to fight the disease so that it can meet the United Nations’ aim of eradicating AIDS by 2030.
