Volume 15, No 11-12, Nov 2005
ISSN: 1001-0602
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018
impact factor 17.848*
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)
Volume 15 Issue 11-12, November 2005: 825-832
REVIEWS
The HIV epidemic in China: history, response, and challenge
Na HE1 and Roger DETELS2
1Department of Epidemiology, Fudan University School of Public Health, Shanghai 200032, China
2Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, USA
Correspondence: Na HE(nhe@shmu.edu.cn)
The first case of AIDS was reported in 1985 in China, but by the early 21st century, the government estimated that there were 840,000 citizens living with HIV/AIDS. The number is increasing rapidly. The major risk groups are injection drug users (IDUSs; 43%) and former plasma donors (27%), but rates among heterosexual groups are rising rapidly. Sentinel surveillance was initiated in 1986, and now includes IDUs, men-who-have-sex-with-men, sexually transmitted disease clinic attendees, antenatal women, long-distance truck drivers, and sex workers. Although the government was slow to respond to the epidemic in the late 20th century, it has made a vigorous response in the early 21st century. Components of that response include implementation and evaluation of harm reduction programs for IDUs, education to increase knowledge and reduce stigma, treatment and social support for rural and poor HIV/AIDS patients, widespread testing, and increased funding for HIV/AIDS programs. International agencies have been generous in their support of the government initiatives. To successfully combat the epidemic, China needs to develop and train the necessary infrastructure to implement its intervention programs, particularly in the rural areas, to vigorously combat stigma and discrimination, support research especially in the universities and research institutions other than the China Centers for Disease Control, develop a system for efficient exchange of research and program information, and update legislation to reflect the current situation.
Cell Research (2005) 15, 825–832. doi:10.1038/sj.cr.7290354
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