BEIJING -- Beijing saw a significant drop in new HIV/AIDS infections during the January-October period, the municipal health authorities said Sunday.

A total of 1,408 new HIV/AIDS cases were reported in the first 10 months of this year, down 47 percent year on year, the Beijing Municipal Health Commission said.

The capital city reported 34,289 HIV/AIDS cases from 1985 to October this year, it said. Sexual transmission was the main channel of AIDS prevalence, accounting for 93 percent of the infections.

Beijing has made antiviral therapy more accessible to AIDS patients at more medical institutions and enhanced HIV testing for high-risk groups, to prevent and control new cases, according to the commission.