Seven expatriates had tested HIV positive in Shenzhen from January to Oct. 31. This was 24 fewer than the same period last year, a report released by the city center for disease control and prevention (CDC) said yesterday, two days ahead of World AIDS Day.
The expatriates were mainly from Norway, Britain, Thailand and Nigeria. The decrease was not significant because many expatriates came and left Shenzhen quite frequently, the CDC said.
Meanwhile, the overall number of new HIV cases reported in the city rose significantly. The center reported 814 HIV carriers in the first 10 months of the year, 7.2 percent more than in the same period last year. Of these, 140 were AIDS patients, 13.8 percent more than a year ago. Five of these patients had since died, one more than last year.
By Oct. 31, the city had reported 4,973 HIV carriers, 1167 of whom were AIDS patients while 147 had died. CDC specialists said there could be 6,200 HIV carriers in the city, similar to last year s estimate.
The main route of infection has shifted from drug addicts sharing needles to sexual intercourse.
Nearly 70 percent were infected through sexual intercourse while about 20 percent were the result of shared needles. This is a big change because in the past the main route was through drug addicts. So we are working on effective ways to control the further spread by promoting HIV prevention among prostitutes, said Zhang Dan, vice general director of the city health bureau and general director of the city AIDS prevention office.
Most HIV carriers and AIDS patients were men under aged 40, accounting for about 80 percent of the total. They were mainly from other Chinese regions, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. About 15 percent were holders of Shenzhen hukou, or permanent residence permits.
According to the CDC report, most cases were found in Bao an and Longgang districts.
By the end of October, more than 1,373 HIV patients had been treated at the five city methadone treatment clinics with 720 still being treated. Liuhua Hospital in Luohu District had treated the most patients in Guangdong Province, the report said.
The city handed out 750,000 free condoms to migrant workers this year, the report said.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong singer Miriam Yueng, the UNAIDS National Ambassador to Hong Kong, also called for safe sex and other protections against AIDS on a train from Guangzhou to Shenzhen yesterday. About 100,000 condoms were given to people at Shenzhen Railway Station in Luohu yesterday.
Shenzhen started monitoring AIDS in 1988. The first HIV carrier was reported in 1992.
People on the mainland used about 2.6 condoms per person a year, while the number in Hong Kong was 7 and Japan 8, event sponsor, Ansell Limited, said yesterday.
Wang Yuanyuan
