The Department of Health of Hong Kong SAR announced here Wednesday that 91 people in Hong Kong tested positive for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) antibody in the third quarter of 2005.

Of the 91 new HIV cases reported, 28 acquired the infection via heterosexual contact, 36 via homosexual or bisexual contact, four cases of injection drug use, two cases of blood or blood product infusion and two cases of prenatal transmission.

The routes of transmission of the remaining 19 cases were undetermined due to inadequate data.

Consultant of the department's Special Preventive Program Dr. Wong Ka-hing said that HIV was spread through sexual contact (homosexual or heterosexual), needle-sharing among drug users and from infected mothers to their babies.

A total of 2,738 HIV infectious cases have been found since 1984. Around 78 percent of the cases acquired infection through sexual contact; 4 percent infections occurred among injection drug users.

Besides, 17 new cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were reported in the same quarter, bringing to 760 the total number of confirmed AIDS cases reported.

(Xinhua News Agency November 16, 2005)