An HIV test kit (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 27 (Korea Bizwire) — There has been an increasing number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in South Korea due to same-sex contact in the last few years, data showed Wednesday.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, there were 19,001 cases of HIV infection between 1985 and 2022, excluding foreigners.
Out of those testing positive for HIV, 93.6 percent (17,782) were male, and 6.4 percent (1,219) were female.
Currently, there are 15,880 people infected with HIV who are still alive, excluding those who have passed away.
Analyzing the infection routes of HIV among South Koreans based on the responses from the patients between 1985 and 2022, it is evident that most of the infections occurred during sexual contact.
From 1985 to 2018, there were more cases of HIV infections through heterosexual contact. However, since 2019, infections through same-sex contact have surpassed those through heterosexual contact.
Medical authorities are concerned about HIV infections through narcotic injections among multiple people using the same needle. There were two cases reported in 2019, two cases in 2020, one case in 2021, and five cases in 2022.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
