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"New HIV infections among homosexuals
up sharply in HK"
By Tan Ee Lyn
HONG KONG, May 30 (Reuters) - New
HIV infections among homosexual men are on the rise in Hong Kong and a
government consultant warned on Wednesday that prevalence of the disease in
this group could hit 30 percent by 2020 if nothing is done.
The government this week reported 91 new HIV infections in the first quarter
of 2007, up from 89 in the same period in 2006.
Of those, 35 were in men who had had homosexual sex, said Wong Ka- hing,
consultant with the Health Department. This compared with 29 new infections
in the first quarter of 2006 and 19 in the same period of 2005.
"If there is no intervention, HIV-infected men who have sex with men could
hit 15,000 by 2020 in Hong Kong, that would be a prevalence of 30 percent,"
Wong said in a telephone interview.
HIV prevalence in this group is estimated at 4 percent now. Experts would
consider any high-risk group as having a "concentrated epidemic" once
prevalence reaches 5 percent.
Concern groups say the spike in new HIV infections among homosexual men is
not confined to Hong Kong.
High prevalence rates are observed in Thailand (28 percent), Nepal (4
percent), Taiwan (8 percent), Vietnam (8 percent) and Cambodia (14 percent),
according to a report in August 2006 by the help group TREAT Asia.
Homosexual men make up a substantial portion of new HIV infections in South
Korea and Singapore.
"New HIV infections are increasing among men who have sex with men
everywhere. Some of that is of a cross-border nature because of gay
parties," said Loretta Wong, who heads the help group, Aids Concern, in Hong
Kong.
"Some are under the influence of drugs and they don't even remember if they
used condoms. People tend to be less careful when they are overseas."
Of concern is one cluster of new infections in Hong Kong which ballooned
from 34 men last September to 53 by March.
"Genetically, viruses isolated from them are very similar. From genetic
sequencing, we determined they were all together (passed the virus to one
another)," consultant Wong said.
A smaller cluster in Hong Kong grew less rapidly, from 12 men last September
to 13 by March.
The government has yet to find out how the virus spread in the bigger
cluster, or if there is a "super-spreader" involved.
Consultant Wong said greater numbers of homosexual men were using the
Internet to hunt for sex partners.
"We did a study recently and found that people are looking for sex partners
on the Internet but we do not know if this cluster was formed that way,"
consultant Wong said, adding that the government was trying to promote safe
sex via the Internet.
But Loretta Wong cautioned against losing sight of other high-risk groups,
such as heterosexual men with multiple sex partners, the commercial sex
industry and intravenous drug users.
"There are many things we need to do to prevent this from escalating
further," Loretta Wong said.
Communicated by Dr Roger TATOUD
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