Havana, Nov 27 (IANS/EFE): The number of people diagnosed with AIDS in Cuba from 1986 to Oct 23, 2012 totals some 17,224, of whom 80 percent are still alive, official media said Monday.

In a statement to the official weekly Trabajadores, the head of AIDS prevention and control at the Public Health Ministry, Maria Isela Lantero, said that the projection for the end of 2012 is for a number similar or smaller than in 2011, making this the second straight year to show a decline.

In the period from January to October 2011, about 1,400 new cases were detected in Cuba of the HIV virus infection that causes AIDS, according to official figures.

Lantero said that today more than 8,000 people in the country are in treatment.

She also said that Havana contributes more than half the cases reported in Cuba, and that 80 percent are men.

Lantero said that the transmission of the virus from mother to child is no longer a problem and with regard to the decline in mortality in recent years, she believes that "stability and favourable results" have been achieved.

Cuban experts say their country is one of the least affected by AIDS in the region, but a significant group of carriers of the virus exists due to the low perception of risk among the population.