Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (AP) - The number of street children in Sao Paulo infected with the AIDS virus is growing by 30 percent a year, according to a physician at a major hospital there.

"We have observed a steady increase each year," Mariangela Yanmin, a doctor who treats young AIDS patients at the Emilio Ribas hospital, told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

A recent study by the University of Sao Paulo shows that 85 percent of street children have used drugs.

It also shows that 86 percent are sexually active and 66 percent have never used a condom.

About 4,500 children are homeless on the streets of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city.

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