High HIV Prevalence Detected in 2006 and 2007 Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in China's Largest Municipality: An Alarming Epidemic in Chongqing, China

In many large cities in China, HIV prevalence data among men who have sex with men (MSM) show striking increases in recent years. To help target HIV prevention in this population, the current study surveyed Chongqing MSM at community venues and cruising areas in three districts in 2006-07 and sought to determine HIV prevalence and associated factors.

HIV prevalence increased from 10.4 percent in 2006 to 12.5 percent in 2007. Among participants recruited at bathhouses and saunas, HIV prevalence was 19.7 percent in 2006 and 26.5 percent in 2007, more than twice the prevalence among participants recruited from other venues. Among MSM over age 40, HIV prevalence was more than 20 percent, much higher than among younger MSM. Among married MSM, prevalence was 15.9 percent in 2006 and 20.9 percent in 2007, in comparison with non-married MSM rates of 7.6 percent in 2006 and 9.2 percent in 2007.

"Urgent attention for prevention services is required to address the overall high HIV prevalence among MSM in the city, with special focus on subgroups as older, married MSM, and those recruited from bathhouses and saunas," concluded the study authors.

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