AIDS Cases Rise in China

China recorded 5,616 new cases of AIDS infection in the first nine months of this year, more than in all of last year, a state newspaper said Saturday. That raised the known number of people in China with HIV virus to 28,133, the China Youth Daily said. Last year, some 5,201 new cases were reported, the newspaper said. The report added to growing official candor about the AIDS epidemic in China, where experts believe that at least 600,000 people carry the HIV virus. Needle-sharing among intravenous drug users and the thriving sex trade were blamed for most new cases, the newspaper said. In another break from previous official reticence, the newspaper said 0.2 percent of new cases were traced to homosexual intercourse. Officials usually are reluctant to acknowledge homosexuality in Chinese society. As a result, health experts worry that many homosexuals lack the information needed to avoid being exposed through sex.

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