Homosexual contact accounts for half of male AIDS patients

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- Nearly half of HIV-positive South Korean men were
found to contract the virus through homosexual sex, a report by the Ministry of
Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said Sunday.
"Between 1985 and September of 2008, a total of 5,909 South Koreans were infected
with HIV. Of the 4,561 Korean men with confirmed infection routes, 42.7 percent,
or 1,946, were found to have caught the fatal disease through homosexual
contact," said the ministry report issued ahead of World AIDS Day, which falls on
Dec. 1. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, causes AIDS.
The report noted that 56.4 percent of HIV infections occurred through
heterosexual contact, with just 1 percent caused by blood transfusions.
It also said a total of 739 people died of AIDS between 1987 and this year, with
105 deaths reported last year alone. During that period, 720 foreigners staying
in South Korea were diagnosed with AIDS, the report said.
ycm@yna.co.kr
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