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South Korea Remains Largely Inactive in Prevention of AIDS EpidemicOctober 25, 2001 On Oct. 8, Korea's National Institute of Health (NIH) released the latest AIDS statistics on South Korea, placing the total number of HIV/AIDS cases at 1,515. Of those infected, 1,326 are men and 189 women. The NIH said the number of new AIDS cases reached 235 in the first nine months of the year, representing a 43 percent increase from 164 in the same period last year. "At the current rate the disease is spreading in South Korea, it is fair to say that this country is on the brink of facing an AIDS epidemic," said Lee Chang-woo, director of the Korean Alliance to Defeat AIDS (KADA). "Unless preventive efforts are made very soon, we may ultimately not even be able to contain the problem." The surge reflects a larger AIDS problem now threatening Asia, which includes the most densely populated regions in the world. According to a report released Oct. 4 by an international panel of experts affiliated with UNAIDS, many parts of Asia are experiencing an AIDS epidemic. "We are kidding ourselves if we think Asia is not at risk of a major AIDS epidemic. It is already there," said Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS. The UN report found that countries facing an AIDS crisis within certain populations included China, Indonesia and Vietnam, whereas countries such as Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia had already experienced nationwide epidemics. In South Korea, the hike in HIV/AIDS cases this year can be attributed mainly to unprotected sex, the NIH study said. It found that of 1,515 reported cases, about 97 percent of people with HIV had contracted the virus through sexual encounters. Of the 1,233 people infected through sex, 25.3 percent were infected by a foreign partner of the opposite gender; 44 percent by a Korean partner of the opposite gender; and 27.4 percent by a partner of the same gender. "The best preventive method is abstaining from sexual activity," said Lee Joo-hil, head of a center for AIDS research at NIH. Korea Herald 10.23.01; Yoo Soh-jung  This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update. |
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