Sri Lanka, Oct. 5 -- A total of 860 new HIV cases emerged over the past year, bringing the overall number of reported HIV-positive individuals in Sri Lanka to 7,403, according to the National STD/AIDS Control Programme.

By the end of the fourth quarter of last year, official testing reached 1,217,419 individuals island-wide, yielding a detection rate of 0.07%.

Data from the fourth quarter revealed a notable gender disparity, with new detections recording a male-to-female ratio of 7:1.

New infections emerged among youth aged 15 to 24, while overall adult HIV prevalence held steady at 0.1%.

Health authorities continue to emphasise early screening and diagnosis, pointing out that timely medical care enables affected individuals to lead h...