Switzerland reports 25% rise in new HIV infections

Health officials in Switzerland on Monday announced that the nation experienced a 25% increase in new HIV infections in 2002, a jump that has concerned AIDS activists and advocates, Agence France-Presse reports. The health ministry said that 792 new HIV cases were diagnosed in 2002, up 25.5% over 2001 figures. "Transmission by sexual means--male homosexuality and heterosexuality--is clearly to the forefront of this development," health ministry officials said in a bulletin. The increase in gay-related HIV cases was most noticeable among the country's indigenous population, while heterosexual cases were most prevalent among immigrants. New prevention programs aimed at gay and bisexual men and at immigrants are planned to begin later this year.