Prevalence of HIV/Aids in China Rises More than 7,000% in 20 Years, Mortality Rate Increases
The prevalence of HIV/Aids in China has surged in the past 20 years, as improved treatment means people are living longer with the disease, according to official data. The figures published by China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in October 2021 revealed that the prevalence rate of reported HIV/Aids cases rose from 1.09 per 100,000 people to 79.62, an increase of more than 7,000% between 2002 and 2021. Improved treatment as well as better access to testing have contributed to the soaring prevalence rates, even as the mortality rate for HIV/Aids also increased for much of that period.
Between 2002 and 2018, the mortality rate for reported cases rose from 0.07 per 100,000 to 1.31 in 2018. Since then it has decreased slightly to 1.28 per 100,000 people in 2021. This indicates a concerning trend of increased mortality among individuals with HIV/Aids.
However, research suggests that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV outcomes in China is worse than initially reported. A study led by researchers at Zhejiang University, Anhui Normal University, and Nanjing Medical University found that the average yearly mortality rate for HIV increased by about 14% in 2020-2022, compared with 2015-2019. The study concluded that access to essential, life-saving HIV drugs through hospital visits was severely compromised during the Covid-19 outbreak, exacerbating established HIV cases and increasing the risk of death.
While China has made progress in HIV surveillance and treatment, notably in testing where annual testing increased from 45 million to 200 million between 2008 and 2018, there are still concerns about limited access to HIV prevention methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The drug, which reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%, was only approved in China in 2020, with approximately 6,000 people thought to be taking it.
In recent years, there has also been growing concern that Beijing’s crackdown on civil society, particularly of LGBT+ groups, has hampered public health workers’ ability to reach groups most at risk of contracting the virus. Public health officials have been unable to supplant the critical function of community organizers, which has led to challenges in reaching and providing services to high-risk groups.
As more individuals are living longer with HIV/Aids due to improved treatment, it is crucial for China to address the challenges of increased prevalence and mortality rates and ensure that access to testing, treatment, and prevention methods is equitable and widespread.