With an estimated 12,000 people in Beijing infected with HIV/AIDS, the municipal public health bureau said the disease has entered a new phase and is expected to spread faster.

The bureau said there are 3,462 people registered as HIV carriers or AIDS sufferers in the capital. Yet, the actual figure is likely three times higher due to people either not knowing they have the virus or have yet to seek medical attention.

However, Beijing Ditan Hospital's Dr Lu Lianhe, who specializes in AIDS treatment, said the estimate of 12,000 was "the tip of the iceberg."

"Underneath the surface, the situation is far more terrible. Many people who are carrying the disease have not developed symptoms so they are simply unaware that they are infected," he said.

Public health bureau statistics released on Thursday also show that among the reported cases, 686 are Beijing residents, 2,634 are people from other provinces and 142 are foreigners.

Zhao Chunhui, vice director of the public health bureau, said drug addicts accounted for 1,357 of the reported cases, 924 cases were transmitted through sexual intercourse, 535 by blood transmission, 46 from mother to infant and about 600 were untraceable.

"The public health bureau plans to set up an HIV/AIDS monitoring network this year that will cover all groups," said Zhang, adding that the municipal government has set aside 500,000 yuan (US$64,784) to provide free treatment for traceable AIDS patients.

The municipal government also plans to build at least one AIDS prevention clinic in each of the city's 18 districts and counties before the end of next year.

Although the municipal government has begun to provide free premarital health checkups from this year, only 30 percent of newlyweds have taken advantage of the service. The central government canceled the compulsory premarital physical in 2003.

Last year, Beijing's health bureau ordered all hotels in the city to supply condoms in guest rooms, but was snubbed by most of them. Only 60 hotels obeyed the requirement.

China had 183,733 reported HIV/AIDS cases last year, but experts from the Ministry of Health estimate there are more likely 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS nationwide.