57 per cent of HIV infections due to homosexualities

JOHOR BAHRU - Homosexual or bisexual relationships contribute to 131 of 231 cases of HIV infections since the start of the year.

The Johor State Health and Unity Exco Ling Tian Soon said the total of 56.7 per cent was high compared to other factors.

"For new HIV cases, men accounted for 205 cases which were 88.7 per cent while women accounted for 26 cases (11.3 per cent) for that period.

"HIV cases that involved those aged 20 to 39-years old was 177 or 76.6 per cent, 50-years-old and above (25 cases or 10.8 per cent), 40 to 49-years-old (23 cases or 10 per cent) and 13 to 19-years-old (six cases or 2.6 per cent)," he said in a statement on Monday.

He said this was followed by heterosexual relationships (91 cases or 39.4 per cent), sharing syringes (three cases or 1.3 per cent), while the cause could not be ascertained for six cases or 2.26 per cent.

Ling said as a whole, a total of 542 HIV cases were reported in the state with 21 deaths currently.

He said for Aids cases, a total of 274 cases were reported compared to the 198 cases in the same duration for the previous year and 67 deaths were recorded compared to the 46 recorded in the previous year.

Meanwhile, Ling said the cumulative cases of dengue in Johor for the 51st Epidemiology Week 2022 totalled 4,076 cases, an increase of 133.3 per cent compared to the previous year of 1,747 cases.

He said 1,452 cases (35.6 per cent) were reported to be from epidemic localities and 2,624 cases (64.4 per cent) from non-epidemic localities.

He said the Epid week recorded 152 cases of dengue reported to involve 46 cases (30.3 per cent) from epidemic localities and 106 cases (69.7 per cent) from non-epidemic localities.

"The district that reported the highest number of cases was Johor Bahru (118 cases or 77.6 per cent) followed by Kulai (nine or 5.9 per cent), Muar and Segamat (each with six cases or 3.9 per cent).

"Tangkak (four cases or 2.6 per cent), Kluang and Mersing (each with three cases or two per cent) while Batu Pahat, Kota Tinggi and Pontian (each with one case or 0.7 per cent)," he said.

Ling said no deaths were recorded in the week throughout the state while the cumulative deaths due to dengue as of the 51st Epid Week 2022 recorded six cases compared to five in the previous year.