MOSCOW, Nov 29 (AFP) - The AIDS epidemic is spreading at an alarming rate in Russia, while the number of people infected with the HIV virus remains low for 1999, the Russian health ministry said Monday.

In 1999 alone, 12,500 new cases of AIDS appeared, including more than 7,000 in metropolitan Moscow, said Deputy Health Minister Gennady Onishchenko.

In all, more than 23,500 people in Russia have been reported as testing positive for HIV, the virus that causes the deadly immunodeficiency disease, according to official statistics.

That marks a significant jump from the 2,617 people who were reported as HIV-positive in 1996, according to government figures.

Onishchenko added that the ministry, which has put the fight against AIDS at the top of its agenda, planned to organize a concert in Moscow to mark World AIDS Day on December 1.

"Young people do not like to listen to their parents, (but) they will easily listen to pop singers," Onishchenko said.

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