Since its initial tally in 1985, the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in South Korea has passed 5,000 for the first time, according to a government health report (au.biz.yahoo.com/Yonhap News Agency, 10/18).
In its quarterly HIV/AIDS report, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) showed that 5,155 South Koreans had contracted the disease. HIV infections have increased in recent years–a total of 575 new cases were reported in the first nine months of this year, compared to 219 in all of 2000.
The KCDC said that most HIV infections in the country resulted from unsafe sex and that condom usage in South Korea is currently at about 20 to 25 percent. The agency plans to work on raising public awareness about HIV by promoting condom use and safe sex practices.
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