MONDAY, MAY 18, 1987
5
11 MORE INFECTED BY AIDS VIRUS
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ANOTHER 11 PERSONS IN HONG KONG WERE FOUND TO BE INFECTED BY THE AIDS (ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME) VIRUS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1987.
THIS WAS ANNOUNCED BY THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT TODAY (MONDAY) WHEN IT RELEASED THE LATEST STATISTICS ON THE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME ON AIDS.
THE NEW FIGURE BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONS FOUND TO BE POSITIVE FOR HIV ANTIBODY TO 83, INCLUDING THE FOUR CONFIRMED AIDS PATIENTS WHO HAD ALL DIED - ONE DIED IN MARCH THIS YEAR.
DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, 8 425 PERSONS WERE TESTED FOR THE AIDS INFECTION BY THE VIRUS UNIT OF THE MEDICAL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
OF THESE, 11 WERE FOUND TO BE POSITIVE FOR HIV ANTIBODY. THESE INCLUDED THREE REFERRALS FROM GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, FIVE REFERRALS FROM PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS, TWO PATIENTS AT THE SOCIAL HYGIENE CLINICS AND ONE HAEMOPHILIAC.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THERE WAS A SIXFOLD INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF REFERRALS FROM PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS FOR THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST FROM A PREVIOUS QUARTERLY AVERAGE OF 35 TO 224 IN THE QUARTER UNDER REVIEW.
+THE PROPORTION OF POSITIVE TEST WAS 4.9 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTERS AS COMPARED TO 2.2 PER CENT IN THE LAST QUARTER, HE ADDED.
THESE FIGURES INDICATE THAT THE EXTENT OF INFECTION IN THE PEOPLE WHO CAME FORWARD FOR TESTING HAS NOT INCREASED.
UNDER THE AIDS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME, GROUPS WHO ARE AT RISK OF BEING INFECTED BY THE VIRUS SUCH AS SEXUALLY PROMISCUOUS PERSONS, MULTITRANSFUSED PATIENTS AND INTRAVENOUS DRUG ABUSERS ARE TESTED FOR THE INFECTION.
SINCE APRIL 1985, A TOTAL OF 46 818 PERSONS HAD BEEN TESTED AND SO FAR 83 WERE FOUND POSITIVE.
DURING THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 1987, THE HONG KONG RED CROSS BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE HAS ALSO CARRIED OUT HIV TESTS FOR 38 869 BLOOD DONORS AND ONE OF THEM WAS FOUND TO BE POSITIVE.
SINCE ITS MASS SCREENING PROGRAMME IN AUGUST 1985, THE NUMBER OF BLOOD DONOR UNITS TESTED BY THE RED CROSS FOR AIDS ANTIBODY TOTALLED 232 945.
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