According to the Ministry of Health in the conservative Islamic kingdom, Saudi Arabia has registered 6,787 cases of AIDS. Mohammed al-Jifry, head of the Epidemic and Parasitic Diseases Authority, said the cases include 1,509 Saudi nationals. Of the patients, 77 percent are males ages 15-49. Authorities registered at least 200 new cases last year, al- Jifry reported. Ninety-five percent of the cases in Saudi Arabia occurred through "forbidden sexual relations," al-Jifry said. Saudi Arabia follows a strict interpretation of Islam and has harsh penalties for adultery and fornication.

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