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Woman diagnosed with HIV in rural Korea, claims no sexual contact since husband's death

Published: 08 Aug. 2025, 11:00

A urine and drug test for HIV is seen on May 15 in this file photo. [EPA/YONHAP]

An 80-something woman living alone in rural Korea has shocked the medical community after being diagnosed with HIV — an exceptionally rare finding for someone her age and with no known risk factors.

The woman has reportedly lived alone in the countryside since her husband died of heart disease over 20 years ago. She told doctors she has not engaged in any sexual activity since.

HIV is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. In Korea, more than 80 percent of HIV cases occur in people in their 20s to 40s.

A Korean medical team diagnosed the woman as HIV-positive during a blood test conducted ahead of chemotherapy for lymphoma last year, according to a case study published in the latest issue of Clinical Case Reports on Thursday.

The route of infection remains a mystery. The woman's late husband, who died two decades ago, had received multiple procedures and tests while hospitalized at a university hospital for heart disease. However, her family said he had no known history or risk factors associated with HIV, making transmission through him unlikely.

Before being diagnosed with lymphoma, the woman had never been hospitalized or undergone surgery. She had no history of blood transfusions, injectable drug use, acupuncture or tattoos — all of which are recognized potential transmission routes for HIV.

A patient shows a Vulante tablet, a medication and specifically a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine, used for the treatment of HIV infection in adults aged 18 years and older, on March 12. [AP/YONHAP]

Tests conducted on her children all returned HIV-negative results.

Doctors estimate the woman contracted the virus years ago through an undetermined pathway, citing a high viral load and relatively preserved immune function, indicated by her CD4 cell count.

Experts said that rather than focusing solely on the unknown transmission route, the case underscores the lack of HIV screening in older adults.

The medical team wrote in the paper that prejudice in excluding the sexual lives of older adults or not considering HIV as a disease affecting the elderly could be a major factor in delayed diagnoses, adding that social isolation and low health literacy also appeared to have played a combined role in such delays.

Currently, most HIV screening guidelines focus on individuals aged 13 to 64. There are no formal recommendations for testing older adults, and no statistics available for HIV cases in people over 80.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]