80% of New HIV Cases in China are Gay Men, Could Reverse Country’s Gains vs. AIDS

China Marks 2008 World AIDS Day (Photo : Getty Images)

A U.N. report, released in May, which stated that 75 percent of employed LGBTIs in China are still in the closet, indicates how the country continues to hide the existence of gays.



Still being in the denial stage, both on the personal and national levels, contributes to the recent spike in HIV infections in the country with gay men – or men who have sex with other men – accounting for 80 percent of the new cases, reported PRI.




The development could reverse the significant gains made by China in halting the threat of an AIDS typhoon in the 1990s which resulted in HIV adult infection down to less than 0.1 percent of the country’s population. It is one of the lowest rates globally.



In March, Beijing Today warned that “The government’s negligence and the societal stigma imposed on the gay community has made the group a more vulnerable target for HIV in China.”



Proof of that is despite reports in November 2015 that HIV and AIDS infection among gay Chinese men was on the rise at an alarming rate, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang did not mention the LGBTI community when he chaired in April the State Council meeting wherein AIDS was a main topic.



Since China reported its first HIV infection case in 1989, aggressive policies resulted in HIV infection rates among drug users reduced by 50 percent in 2013 from 2003 and infection rate among female sex trade workers down to less than 1 percent.



However, among gay men, HIV infection rates ballooned by five times, partly due to inconsistent condom use. Although there are some efforts, such as installation of condom vending machines in universities and partnership with Blued, the largest gay dating in the world based in China, to make available medical information, these are insufficient.



What is blocking gay Chinese men from seeking medical care is the stigma surrounding homosexuality. AIDS prevention activist Zhang Jinxiong blamed the stigma for preventing gays from keeping long-term partners and instead opt for more risky and haphazard relationships, reported Xinhua News Agency.





