KUALA LUMPUR: Sexual transmission is the main risk factor for new HIV infections in the Federal Territories from 2015 until last year.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said within the same period, 68 per cent of new HIV infections reported were from homosexual or bisexual relationships while 26 per cent involved heterosexual relationships.
"The trend of new HIV cases remains unchanged for all categories of risk factors.
"The ministry is taking prevention and control measures to achieve the Zero HIV goal and to End AIDS as outlined through a series of National Strategic Plans to End HIV/AIDS (2016 to 2030).
"Among others, it outlines the main focus including testing and treating, strengthening harm reduction, prevention of mother-to-child transmission as well as the elimination of stigma and discrimination," he said in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was replying to a question from Dr Tan Yee Kew (Pakatan Harapan-Wangsa Maju).
Khairy said the number of new HIV cases reported for the period of 2015 to last year in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya totalled 3,030 cases, with new HIV cases showing a horizontal trend.
He said the number of HIV cases reported in 2015 was 448 people or at a rate of 27.8 cases per 100,000 population.
"In 2019, as many as 448 new HIV cases were reported or at a rate of 22.5 cases per 100,000 population.
"For 2020 and 2021, new cases of HIV reported in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya showed a significant downward trend.
"However, this may be the effect of movement control due to the Covid-19 pandemic that hit the entire country, causing HIV screening activities to be blocked," he said.
Khairy said throughout the period from 2015 to last year, 91 per cent of new HIV cases were reported from the age group between 20 to 49 years, 45 per cent (age group 20-29), 33 per cent (age group 30-39), 13 per cent (age group 40-49), and three per cent (below 20-years-old).
Only six per cent of new HIV cases involved those 50-years-old and above.