QUITO, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- There are 6,000 reported AIDS cases in Ecuador, but the actual figure may be higher, Health Minister Teofilo Lama announced Wednesday.

    Lama said education and prevention are more important than medical treatment to reach further advances against the disease.

    The most likely HIV-victims are no more homosexual groups, but women and children, Lama added.

    In the first three quarters of this year, 389 people were newlyinfected and 313 AIDS cases were found in the region. But the Health Ministry only offers treatment to 700 of them.

    Immunologist Jacinto Vargas, one of the pioneers to treat the disease, said the epidemic was advancing fast in the past 20 yearsbecause not all the sectors of the society paid attention to HIV-prevention.

    The first HIV-positive case in Ecuador happened 20 years ago. Enditem