HIV infections hit record high in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Sep 3 (Reuters) HIV infections soared to a record high in Hong Kong in the second quarter of 2007 and government doctors said they found a worrying cluster of new infections among homosexual men.

The government reported 111 new HIV infections between April and June this year, up from 91 in the first quarter.

Of the new infections uncovered from April to June, 35 were homosexual men, underlining the vulnerability of the group which has seen a steady rise in new infections since 2004.

Experts identified a new cluster of infections involving eight men, meaning virus samples taken from them were so genetically similar that they probably passed the HIV virus to one another. The eight tested positive between July 2006 and May 2007.

''The detection of a cluster of HIV infection suggests the presence of a rapid local HIV transmission among the affected people,'' the government said in a statement.

The government has tried to promote safer sex among homosexual men. At least one help group is trying to promote safe sex via the Internet, which is used by an increasing numbers of homosexual men to find partners.

At least 3,400 people have tested positive for HIV in Hong Kong since the first case was discovered there in 1984, with 893 of these cases developing into full-blown AIDS.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 after more than 150 years as a British colony.

Reuters GL GC1029