Gay men in 20s make up biggest group of new HIV patients in Hong Kong

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Gay men in their 20s were the most affected group of people with HIV last year in Hong Kong, according to recentgovernment statistics.

The age group of those between 20 and 29 years saw 164 new people with HIV last year, compared to those aged 30 to 39 that saw only 102 new cases in the same period, Health Department figures issued Feb 23 showed, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

It said 378 of the 651 new cases reported in 2014 were via sex between men and that in the last three months of 2014 along Hong Kong saw 152 new cases, 125 of which occurred in men. Of those, 82 were acquired via gay or bisexual sex.

"The trend [of a younger infected population] is worrisome … the situation will only get worse for them. With more people infected in the community, the chance of getting infected also increases," Dr Wong Ka-hing, consultant at the Health Department told the newspaper.

He said young people’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS had declined and that judging from inputs from social workers, they seemed less aware than before about protection measures.

An earlier health department survey revealed that only 70 per cent of gay men used a condom during sex.

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