Hong Kong reports 559 HIV cases in 2013

A total of 559 new cases of HIV infection were reported in Hong Kong in 2013, bringing the cumulative total of reported HIV infections since 1984 to 6,342, the city's Center for Health Protection said on Tuesday.

Of the 559 cases, 295 acquired the infection through homosexual or bisexual contact, 137 through heterosexual contact and seven through drug injection. One case was infected through blood or blood-product transfusion outside Hong Kong and the routes of transmission of the remaining 119 cases were undetermined due to inadequate information.

The center's consultant Wong Ka-hing said sexual transmission remained the major mode of HIV transmission in Hong Kong. He stressed the importance of proper condom use in reducing the risk of contracting HIV.