HONG KONG - The number of new HIV infections in Hong Kong has declined for the ninth consecutive year, according to official data released on Tuesday.
A total of 180 new HIV cases were reported in the first half of 2025, compared to 185 cases during the same period last year — representing a 3 percent year-on-year decrease, data from the city’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) showed.
These new cases bring the cumulative number of locally reported HIV infections to 12,583 since records began in 1984, the CHP said in a statement.
Among the 180 new cases, 140 were male and 40 were female, ranging in age from 20 to 75. Approximately 95 percent of the infections were transmitted through sexual contact. Of these, over 57 percent were acquired through homosexual or bisexual contact, while the remainder were transmitted via heterosexual contact.
The CHP also reported 47 new cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the first half of 2025, involving 33 men and 14 women. Since 1985, a cumulative total of 2604 AIDS cases has been reported in Hong Kong.
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"The prevalence of HIV infection among the general public in Hong Kong remained at 0.1 percent, well below the global average, and the number of new HIV cases recorded also continues to decline, demonstrating the effectiveness of AIDS control and prevention in Hong Kong," said Bonnie Wong Chun-kwan, consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the Public Health Services Branch of the CHP of the Department of Health.
However, the proportion of late presenters increased from 48 percent in the same period last year to 58 percent. In recent years, the proportion has remained high, ranging from 40 to 60 percent, warned Wong.
Late presenters refer to individuals with a very low CD4 cells (one kind of immune cell) count or those with HIV infections that have already progressed to AIDS at the time when they are diagnosed with the illness.
According to analyses by the CHP, the proportion of late presenters among high-risk populations—such as men who have sex with men and sex workers—was approximately 40 to 50 percent. Among individuals not classified as high-risk, the proportion was even higher, reaching 60 to 70 percent.
"The CHP believed that those who do not belong to high-risk populations may have overlooked that they still have the risk of HIV infection even though they do not have frequent high-risk sexual practices, leading to delayed testing and treatment," Wong said.
Late presentation indicates that these individuals were not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner during the earlier stages of infection. This delay can lead to a higher risk of opportunistic infections and malignancies, as well as a tenfold increase in the mortality rate compared to other people living with HIV, according to the statement.
Wong stressed that HIV infection is a manageable chronic disease, and people with HIV should seek specialist care and receive HIV treatment as soon as possible to achieve viral suppression.
