EPIDEMIOLOGY AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Cell Research, 15(11-12):852-857, Nov-Dec 2005

High risk populations and HIV-1 infection in China

Tuo Fu ZHU^1-3,*, Chun Hui WANG¹, Peng LIN⁴, Na HE⁵

¹Departments of Laboratory Medicine, ²Departments of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
³Programs in Infectious Diseases, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98195-8070, USA
⁴Guangdong Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 510300, China
⁵School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

Correspondence: Tuo Fu Zhu 206-732-6079 (phone) 206-732-6109 (fax) E-mail:tzhu@u.washington.edu Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, 960 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98109.

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Abstract

China is currently experiencing one of the most rapidly expanding HIV epidemics in the world. Although the overall prevalence rate is still low, with a population of 1.3 billion, high-risk factors which have contributed to the HIV/AIDS epidemics worldwide continue to prevail in China, including a high rate of injecting drug use and needle sharing, commercial sex with low rates of condom use, and concurrent sex with both commercial sex workers and noncommercial casual or steady sex partners. In addition, there are increasing "double risk" populations overlapping drug users and sex workers, as well as increasing rates of STDs and HIV among high-risk populations. Sexual transmission, therefore, may serve as a bridge connecting high-risk populations with general populations. There is an urgent need to prevent the spread of HIV from these high-risk populations into the general population of China.

Keywords: HIV, high risk, China.