XN000022-1990-02-27 — Page 7

6

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1990

ONE MORE AIDS CASE CONFIRMED

* *

THE

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF AIDS (ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME) CASES HAS RISEN TO 33 WITH THE CONFIRMATION OF ONE MORE CASE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANNOUNCED TODAY (TUESDAY).

THE VICTIM, WHO ACQUIRED THE DISEASE SEXUALLY, HAD PREVIOUSLY FOUND TO BE POSITIVE FOR THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST. HE DIED A FALL FROM HEIGHT.

BEEN IN

OF THE 33 AIDS CASES, 19 PATIENTS HAD PASSED AWAY WHILE THE OTHER 14 ARE RECEIVING COUNSELLING AND TREATMENT.

RELEASING THE MONTHLY STATISTICS ON THE AIDS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY, ONE MORE MAN WAS FOUND TO BE POSITIVE FOR THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST, BRINGING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CARRIERS TO 172. HE ACQUIRED THE INFECTION SEXUALLY.

OF THE 172 CARRIERS, 55 WERE HAEMOPHILIACS, ONE WAS AN INTRAVENOUS DRUG ABUSER, 19 WERE PERSONS WHO ATTENDED SOCIAL HYGIENE CLINICS, 57 WERE PATIENTS FROM GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS AND CLINICS, AND 40 WERE REFERRALS FROM PRIVATE DOCTORS AND SUBVENTED ORGANISATIONS.

UNDER THE AIDS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME STARTED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN 1985, A TOTAL OF 150,187 BLOOD SPECIMENS HAVE BREN TESTED FOR THE AIDS VIRUS.

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

UP TO LAST MONTH, 670,149 UNITS OF BLOOD HAD BEEN TESTED AND 10 WERE FOUND POSITIVE.

/AIDS VIRUS