December 2: Health officials have detected 16 new HIV cases between February and November this year. This takes the total number of people detected with HIV so far to 160.

Of the 16 new cases, nine are females and includes a minor. Seven are male.

Except for one mother to child transmission case, all the others contacted the virus through unprotected sex.

According to an estimate by the UN AIDS, Bhutan will have more than five hundred people with HIV.

Almost 90 percent of the HIV infections in the country are attributed to unsafe sexual practices like multiple partners, casual sex and low condom usage.

15 of the 16 new cases fall in the age range of 15-49 years.

So far 31 people have died of AIDS related complications since the first case was detected in 1993.

A news release from the Health Ministry says the infected people include government and corporate employees, businessmen, farmers, uniformed personnel, religious practitioners, housewives and sex workers.

The Health Minister Lyonpo Zangley Dukpa joined the people of Pema Gatshel yesterday to observe the World AIDS Day.