“It is enough for the past time to have walked after lust and passion”
[Jul.05.2023] About 1,000 new people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can cause AIDS, were reported last year. According to the “2022 Annual Report on HIV/AIDS” released by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the 29th, the number of people infected with HIV last year was 1066, an increase of 9.3% (91 people) from the previous year (975 people).
HIV is a virus that destroys the body’s immune system. Among HIV-infected persons, those whose immune system is compromised and have clinical, or laboratory findings are counted as AIDS patients. In the case of last year, there were 147 new domestic AIDS patients.
The number of new HIV-infected people was 1,223 in 2019, the highest since 1985 when the count began, then decreased for two years to 1,016 in 2020 and 975 in 2021, then increased again last year.
By sex, males accounted for 92.3%, and females accounted for 7.7%. By age, those in their 30s accounted for the most with 34.9%, followed by those in their 20s with 31.5% and those in their 40s with 16.5%, accounting for 66.4% of the total in their 20s and 30s.
As a result of a survey based on 582 people who responded to the epidemiological survey among newly infected Koreans, 99.1% of the total respondents were sexual contact as the route of infection. 60.3% of the respondents answered that they had sexual contact with people of the same sex.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of the end of 2022, the number of survivors among Koreans cumulatively infected with HIV was 15,880, an increase of 683 (4.5%) from the previous year. Of these, 2,927 (18.5%) were over the age of 60, the proportion is increasing, the representative explained.
“AIDS is a disease that can be sufficiently managed through the advanced medical treatment options. To fight AIDS, it is important to avoid unsafe sexual contact and to get tested quickly if the infection is suspected.”, said Ji Young-mi, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Source: Yonhap News Comprehensive).
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (1 Peter 4:1, 3)
God, we need Your mercy upon Korea. We repent for the sexual depravity and obscenity of this generation as we hear the number of newly infected people with AIDS rapidly increasing in the past year. Let the light of the gospel shine on Korean society and its people so that they will be freed from sexual lust and let the virus that destroys the immune function of the human body and destroys the soul and body by sexual contact between the same sex be stopped. May the Korean churches pray earnestly and proclaim the gospel of the cross boldly, so that people will turn back from unsafe sexual practices but be armed with the Word of Life and serve You.
Prayer 24·365
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