JAPAN'S ANNUAL REPORT ON HIV/AIDS FOR 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 002893 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, OES/IHB AND S/GAC DEPT PASS TO NIH/NIAID WESTERN HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER AND ABDOO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO SOCI KHIV AMED KSCA JA SUBJECT: JAPAN'S ANNUAL REPORT ON HIV/AIDS FOR 2007 TOKYO 00002893 001.3 OF 002 ¶1. Summary: Japan reported a record 1,082 new HIV-positive cases and 418 new AIDS cases during 2007, bringing the cumulative totals to 9,426 and 4,468 respectively at the end of 2007. As in previous years, Japanese males accounted for the majority of new HIV and AIDS cases in 2007 and sexual contact was reported as the primary route of infection. Japanese prefectures outside the Tokyo area saw an increase in HIV/AIDS cases in 2007, but overall, the disease remained concentrated in the Tokyo area. End summary. -------------- -------------- Report Urges Continued Measures to Combat HIV/AIDS -------------- -------------- ¶2. In its Annual Report on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic for 2007, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's (MHLW) AIDS Surveillance Committee again urged the government to expand opportunities for early stage HIV/AIDS testing and to promote active countermeasures to prevent further HIV infections in the homosexual population. The Committee, consisting of nine medical researchers and one patient group representative, also urged local governments to take appropriate action to prevent HIV from spreading in their areas of responsibility and to better detect and provide medical treatment to HIV/AIDS patients in the earliest stages. -------------- HIV-positive Cases in 2007 -------------- ¶3. According to the Annual Report, the number of HIV-positive cases has trended upward in Japan since 1996. In 2007, a record 1,082 new HIV cases were reported, up 130 from the prior record of 952 new cases in 2006. Japanese males accounted for 86 percent of the total number of cases reported. Sexual contact accounted for 87.8 percent of new cases: 67.4 percent through homosexual and 20.4 percent through heterosexual intercourse. Other routes of infection fell into the following categories: intravenous drug use (0.3 percent), unknown (9.6 percent),and other (2.3 percent). No cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission were reported in 2007. -------------- AIDS Cases in 2007 -------------- ¶4. In 2007, 418 new AIDS cases with fully developed symptoms were reported, up 12 from the 406 cases reported in 2006. (Note: In the Annual Report data, new AIDS cases do not necessarily include previously reported HIV cases that subsequently developed AIDS, according to MHLW officials. Since 1999, doctors have been required to report HIV and AIDS cases only at first diagnosis. End Note.) Japanese males accounted for 82.1 percent of AIDS cases reported. Of this group, 74.0 percent of the AIDS cases were contracted via sexual contact, with 37.6 percent through homosexual contact and 36.8 percent through heterosexual intercourse. The remaining cases fell into the categories of: intravenous drug use (0.7 percent), unknown (17.9 percent) and other (6.9 percent). No new AIDS cases resulting from mother-to-child transmission were reported in 2007. -------------- Infections by Area in 2007 -------------- ¶5. Infections in the areas of Kanto and Koshinetsu, including Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures of Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, and Nagano, accounted for 54 percent and 47 percent of the total numbers of the country's HIV and AIDS cases respectively in 2007. The number of HIV cases in Tokyo has grown markedly since 1996, reaching 38.8 percent of Japan's total HIV cases in 2007. However, the number of AIDS cases in Tokyo accounted for 21.5 percent, down 2.9 percentage points from 2006. The overall number of HIV/AIDS cases in other regions increased in ¶2007. -------------- Cumulative HIV/AIDS Cases -------------- ¶6. Since the start of the national survey in 1984, a cumulative total of 9,426 HIV cases and 4,468 AIDS cases have been logged in Japan as of December 31, 2007. However, not included in these statistics are the roughly 1,430 HIV and AIDS patients who contracted the virus in the 1980s through contaminated blood products for hemophilia patients. Since 1999, MHLW has not required TOKYO 00002893 002.2 OF 002 doctors to report AIDS deaths separately, according to MHLW officials. The following are the cumulative percentages of HIV cases, listed by infection routes: 47.3 percent through homosexual contact, 34.1 percent through heterosexual contact, 0.5 percent through intravenous drug use, 0.3 percent through mother-to-child transmission, 2.2 percent through other routes and 15.6 percent through unknown routes. AIDS cases also yielded similar figures: 41.5 percent through heterosexual contact, 29.2 percent through homosexual contact, 0.8 percent through intravenous drug use, 0.4 percent through mother-to-child transmission, 3.1 percent through other routes and 25.0 percent through unknown routes. ¶7. Among the cumulative HIV cases, Japanese males accounted for 70.0 percent followed by non-Japanese females (13.5 percent), non-Japanese males (9.9 percent),and Japanese females (6.6 percent). Among the cumulative AIDS cases, Japanese males accounted for 73.1 percent followed by non-Japanese males (14.5 percent), non-Japanese females (7.0 percent),and Japanese females (5.4 percent). The number of Japanese female HIV/AIDS cases remained little changed from the year 2000 level. -------------- Tokyo's Countermeasures -------------- ¶8. In a briefing for ECONOFF following the release of the Annual Reoprt, Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) officials outlined various countermeasures they are taking against HIV/AIDS. Tokyo accounted for 34 percent of HIV/AIDS cases reported in Japan in ¶2007. In order to stop the virus' spread, TMG prioritizes promoting HIV/AIDS tests and educational activities. The TMG has expanded hours for HIV testing at local health centers and introduced a rapid test that allows same-day results. The TMG also set up a center in a popular neighborhood where young people can learn about the risks of HIV/AIDS. At the center, young volunteers run peer education activities such as workshops and exhibitions. TMG officials said such efforts since 2002 have resulted in increased numbers of people seeking HIV tests. In 2007, 28,936 people in Tokyo were tested for HIV, double the number in 2002, according to the TMG. (Note: TMG officials said Tokyo's lower number of AIDS cases may be the result of better screening and treatment programs, however there have been no studies to confirm this. End Note.) The TMG has also exchanged information on HIV/AIDS with other Asian countries through the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21),established in 2000 to address common issues for Asian cities such as crisis management, environmental protection, and industrial development. SCHIEFFER