The Cuban government has announced that
AIDS is spreading in its capital of Havana, where the number of cases
grew by 3.4 percent in 2008, reports the Spanish news agency EFE.
The highest HIV at-risk group in Havana
appears to be gay or bi men (men who have sex with men) between the
ages of 20 and 44, said the head of the Provincial Program for
Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Barbara
Venegas, as quoted by the Havana weekly Tribuna.
Havana appears to be the epicenter of
the pandemic on the island nation, with the city's 15 municipalities
on the list of the 29 hardest hit areas, she said.
Infection among women in the capital
city is also on the rise: There was a 6.7% uptick in AIDS cases in
2008 over the previous year. Studies show housewives are being
infected at a higher rate. Officials said there were “multifaceted”
causes for the increase but singled out “bisexuality” as a
primary concern.
There have been 10,454 Cubans infected
with the virus that causes AIDS over the past 12 years.