Over 1,300 AIDS cases reported in morocco by end 2003

Some 1,316 cases of AIDS were reported in Morocco by December 31 2003, revealed a report on the epidemiological situation of AIDS in Morocco drawn up by the health ministry.

The document, distributed by the anti-AIDS pan-African Organization (OPALS), points out that 63% of people suffering from AIDS are men and that 85% of cases are from urban areas.

The report says that 44% of AIDS sufferers are aged from 30 to 39, 25% from 15 to 29, 18% from 40 to 49 and 3% are less than 15 years old.

On the ways of infection, the document underlines that 84% of AIDS cases were contracted through unsafe sexual intercourses, 3% through syringes by drug consumers, 3% via mother-to-child transmission and 1% during blood transfusion.

The survey also notes an increase in sexually transmitted diseases that rose from 103,434 cases in 1992 to 349,427 in 2002.