Since the start of the epidemic, 42,262 cases of AIDS (41,618 adults and 644 children) had been recorded as of June 30, 1996. Of these cases, 62.3% are known to have died. The total number of AIDS cases since the start of the epidemic is estimated to be between 48,500 and 53,000, and the total number of deaths between 31,500 and 34,000. The number of living people with AIDS is estimated to be between 17,000 and 19,000 as of June 30, 1996. The number of new AIDS cases diagnosed during the first half of 1996 is estimated at 2,900: people infected through homosexual contact remain the majority (36% of new cases); heterosexuals now account for 28% of new cases, and drug users for 25%. As of June 30, 1996, with 1 AIDS case per 220 inhabitants (cumulative cases since the start of the epidemic), Paris is the hardest-hit department. Next are French Guiana (1 case per 235 inhabitants), the Alpes-Maritimes (1 case per 430), Guadeloupe (1 case per 580), and the inner suburbs (approximately 1 case per 650).