October 03: Seven more people, four women and three men, have been detected with HIV. This takes the total number of people detected with the virus to 125.

The Public Health Director Dr. Ugyen Dophu said all seven got the infection through heterosexual transmission.

Of the total, 24 have died of Aids related complications so far.

There are 101 people living with HIV/Aids of which 46 are male and 55 are female. The figure also includes ten children below the age of five who have acquired the infection from their parents.

A news release from the Department of Public Health attributed 90% of the HIV infections to unsafe sexual practices like multiple partners, casual sex and low condom usage.

It says young sexually active people are more vulnerable to the epidemic. Those infected by the virus include government and corporate employees, businessmen, farmers, armed force personnel, monks, housewives and sex workers.

The first HIV case in the kingdom was detected in 1993.