173 new cases of HIV infection have been recorded by the city of Hong Kong in the first three months of the year. The figure confirms a rising trend in new cases.

Over the past three years new cases in January to March have increased from 138 in 2013 to 154 in 2014 and 173 this year.

Dr Wong Ka-hing, consultant in the special preventive at the Centre for Health Protection gave two possible reasons for the increasing numbers. Dr Wong said that one factor may be due to an increase in HIV testing amongst the community of men who have sex with men. He also noted that there was probably a genuine increase in infections.

Men made up most of the figure of new reported infections at 83.3 per cent. Sexual contact remained the most common route of transmission, accounting for 73.4 per cent of the total number of cases. More than half of the new cases were infected through homosexual contact.

Although more gay men are being tested for HIV in Hong Kong, with 60 percent responding to a survey saying they had been tested within the past year, Aids Concern still highlight that unprotected sex remains the main reason for transmission. A study by Aids Concern found that 41 per cent of gay men in the city did not practice safe sex every time they have intercourse.