Wang Yuanyuan

    THIRTEEN expatriates tested HIV positive in Shenzhen from January to Oct. 31, five more than last year, according to a report released by the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the eve of today’s World AIDS Day.

    The expatriates are mainly from Norway, Britain, Thailand and Nigeria, said CDC officials who quoted sources from the city’s public security bureau.

    Meanwhile, the number of new cases being reported in the city overall has risen significantly. The city reported 639 HIV carriers in the first 10 months, 29 percent more than the same period last year, and 126 AIDS patients, 39 percent more than a year ago. Thirteen of them have died.

    To date, the city had reported 3,253 HIV carriers in total, 722 of whom were AIDS patients and 115 had died. Specialists from the CDC said that there might be some 5,400 HIV carriers in the city.

    The growing number of Hong Kong male residents coming to Shenzhen for homosexual sex has resulted in a big increase in the number of infections among gays, CDC spokesman surnamed Zhang said.

    Only a few cases of infection through breast feeding were reported this year, and all were migrant workers, the report said.

    Most HIV carriers and AIDS patients were men under 40, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the total. They were mainly from other Chinese cities, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Only 10 percent were Shenzhen hukou holders.

    Infections in China have grown by about 8 percent annually since 2005, according to a study published in the journal Nature last month, which estimated that 700,000 people are now HIV-positive in the nation.

    According to the CDC report, most of the cases were found in Bao’an and Longgang districts.

    By the end of October, the city had established 15 clinics and 19 community services for free HIV tests and consultations. A total of 8,395 residents in the city voluntarily received free HIV tests from January to October, 75 of whom tested HIV positive.

    A total of 154 residents are receiving free anti-virus treatment for AIDS in the city, including three children. The CDC is expecting an increase in the number of people who receive free treatment next year because of the rising awareness of AIDS prevention, Zhang said.

    In addition, 18 AIDS patients from poor families in the city each received 2,000 yuan (US$294) Sunday from the city’s Red Cross.

    It was the first time that the city had offered financial support to AIDS patients. According to Chen Zhuang, vice chairman of the Shenzhen Red Cross, a special fund will be established early next year for AIDS patients who can’t afford treatment.