Editor’s note: This translated article, published in ifeng.com, reports the latest statistics and findings related to AIDs and HIV infection in China. The data was published by the National Health Planning Commission, disclosing key information on transmission rates, causes and geographic location of areas with the highest concentration of AIDS and HIV cases. Interestingly, the map published with these findings shows that AIDS is more prevalent in the south of China, though the article doesn’t explore the reasons for this.

On December 1, World AIDS Day, the National Health Planning Commission announced new data on patients infected with HIV and AIDS in China . The National Health Planning Commission reported that from 1985 to December of this year, the number of Chinese who live with HIV has reached 497,000. About 60 percent of infected patients have survived and are living with HIV or AIDS. 154,000 of those infected have died. Last year, data released on September 30, 2013 showed that there were about 434,000 patients with HIV and AIDS living in China.

Infection through sexual transmission

Wei from the National Health Planning Commission said that as a national epidemic, the numbers for AIDS and HIV in China are low. However, in some areas there are a higher number of cases than in others. Sexual transmission is the main way that patients are infected with HIV and AIDS in China. A smaller number of patients are infected through intravenous drug use and mother to child transmission. According to data released last year, close to 90 percent of newly diagnosed HIV positive patients reported that they had been infected through sexual transmission. The data was taken from those infected between January and September 2013. More than one in five of the patients were homosexual. In some areas, the ratio of gay men infected through sexual transmission was higher than one in five. In addition, infection rates among young students, the elderly and other key groups were significantly higher.

The geography of an epidemic

Data recently taken from southern cities as well as AIDS data in 31 different provinces (including mortality rates) is displayed on the map. The data is colour coded according to reports on HIV patients in different provinces. The cumulative report shows HIV-infected patients (including those who have died) in 15 provinces: Anhui, Shanghai, Hubei, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Beijing, Hunan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Xinjiang, Guangdong, Henan, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. The majority of patients are found in Yunnan with more than 100,000 cases. As of October 31 of this year, 79,915 patients have been infected with HIV and 23,316 more patients have died from HIV and AIDS. The Academic Exchange Conference on AIDS reported in October that there are more than 10,000 infected patients in 12 different provinces.

Looking at the geography of infected patients, we can see that infected patients are more likely to be located in southwestern provinces. The National Health Planning Commission stated that 45 percent of AIDS and HIV patients in China are located in Yunnan, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces.

A new report taken from January to October of this year shows that the largest increase in HIV infected patients has been in Sichuan Province. In Sichuan there are more than 10,000 new cases this year. In Yunnan there have been 9,601 new cases. Guangdong and Guangxi have each reported more than 5,000 new cases.

Gay sex or straight sex?

The report taken from January to October on patients infected with HIV also shows that in the south, over 90 percent of patients are infected through sexual transmission in 70 percent of provinces. In Jilin, 99.8 percent of patients are infected through sexual transmission and 75.8 percent of those patients are infected through gay sex. The National Health Planning Commission reported that out of 87,000 new cases reported, 91.5 percent of patients were infected through sexual transmission. Out of these, 66 percent were through gay intercourse and 25 percent were infected through heterosexual sex.

Source: ifeng.com

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: Chinese aids patients Aids in China