New HIV Infections in South Korea Decline for Third Consecutive Year; Number of Survivors Sees Slight Increase

The number of new HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections reported to domestic health authorities has declined for three consecutive years as of last year.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 927 new HIV infections were reported last year, a 4.9% decrease from the 975 cases reported the previous year.

Of the new infections reported last year, 659 were South Korean nationals and 268 were foreign nationals.

The proportion of foreign nationals among new HIV infections increased by 2.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.

By gender, 822 were male and 105 were female.

Among the 529 individuals who responded to questions regarding the route of transmission, 524, or 99.1%, identified sexual contact as the cause.

Of those who cited sexual contact as the transmission route, 328 individuals, or 62.6%, specified same-sex sexual contact.

Not everyone infected with HIV is an AIDS patient, which refers to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

The KDCA explained that AIDS refers to patients who experience various infections as their immune function declines due to the destruction of immune cells following HIV infection.

The KDCA is currently implementing the 2nd Comprehensive Plan for AIDS Prevention and Management (2024–2028), with the goal of reducing new infections by 50% by 2030 compared to 2023 levels.

(Photo: Yonhap News TV capture, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.