Abstract
Since the first case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the
Republic of Korea (ROK) was detected in 1985, 876 HIV-infected patients have
been reported, as of December 1998. The male to female ratio was 6.8:1, and 87%
of the patients were between 20 and 49 years of age. The major modes of
transmission were sexual contacts, accounting for 86% of the cases (65%
heterosexuals and 21% homosexuals). Transmission through blood and blood
products accounted for 28 cases (3.2%), and vertical transmission for one case.
No cases among intravenous drug abusers were reported. The seroprevalence among
the blood donors was approximately one in 100,000. Subtypes A, B, C, D, E, and G
of HIV-1 have been introduced into the ROK, and subtype B is the most
predominant subtype. The frequency of the a deletion in the CCR5 gene, a
coreceptor of HIV-1, was less than 1% among Koreans.