China’s HIV infection rate increased by 45 percent last year, reports Shanghai Daily (shanghaidaily.com, 2/25). The country’s annual epidemic report released by the Ministry of Health showed that more than 700,000 people in China were living with HIV/AIDS as of 2007, up from an estimated 650,000 in 2006.
According to the data, 44.7 percent of new infections were the result of heterosexual transmission, 12.2 percent were through homosexual transmission and 42 percent through intravenous-drug use. Approximately 1.1 percent of new infections were attributed to mother-to-child transmission.
However, Shanghai Daily reports that the rise in prevalence in the last year may not necessarily be due to riskier behavior.
“The sharp increase in reported cases of HIV/AIDS doesn’t mean the HIV/AIDS situation is getting worse,” says Gao Qui, a project manager with the China HIV/AIDS information Network. “The increase might be due to more screening tests.”
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