Report: HIV Rises Sharply Among Chinese Senior Citizens

The China Daily newspaper has reported a spike in the number of older men in China diagnosed with HIV in recent years. The National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention statistics showed that in 2005, 483 men age 60 and older were diagnosed with HIV, representing 2.2 percent of that year's total. But in 2010, the count had jumped to 3,031, or almost 9 percent of the total for the year. The trend has only been observed on the Chinese mainland, noted NCASCP Director Wu Zunyou. He added that many factors may be behind the rise, including that Chinese men are staying sexually active longer, the lack of sexual protection and an improved economy. Targeted intervention steps have been taken to reverse the trend of growing HIV cases among senior citizens, especially in counties and rural districts where the public's awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention remains relatively low, he said.

Back to other news for August 2012