XN000022-1989-04-25 — Page 6

TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 1989

NO NEW AIDS CASES IN MARCH

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF AIDS (ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME} CASES IN HONG KONG REMAINED AT 20 IN MARCH, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY STATISTICS RELEASED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TODAY (TUESDAY).

HOWEVER, ONE MORE AIDS CARRIER WAS REPORTED DURING THE MONTH, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER TO 142.

OF THE 142 CARRIERS, 53 WERE HAEMOPHILIACS, 15 WERE PERSONS WHO ATTENDED SOCIAL HYGIENE CLINICS, 42 WERE PATIENTS FROM GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, AND 32 WERE REFERRALS FROM PRIVATE DOCTORS AND SUBVENTED ORGANISATIONS.

THE DEPARTMENT ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT ANOTHER AIDS PATIENT DIED THIS MONTH (APRIL), BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS TO 13. THE OTHER SEVEN PATIENTS ARE STILL ALIVE AND ARE RECEIVING TREATMENT AND COUNSELLING.

FOR

UNDER THE AIDS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME STARTED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN 1985, A TOTAL OF 123,471 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TESTED THE AIDS VIRUS.

MEANWHILE, THE HONG KONG RED CROSS BLOOD TRANSFUSION SERVICE HAS ALSO SCREENED ALL BLOOD DONORS FOR AIDS.

UP TO MARCH, 536,154 UNITS OF BLOOD HAD BEEN TESTED AND EIGHT UNITS WERE FOUND POSITIVE.

/AIDS VIRUS