Yesterday, many AIDS intervention non-governmental organizations, the China-Gates AIDS Guangzhou Project Office and the Global AIDS Fund Guangzhou Project launched AIDS Day publicity activities at South China Agricultural University. Statistics from the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that newly reported AIDS cases in Guangzhou this year have dropped by about 10% year-on-year. However, what is alarming is that the HIV infection rate among gay men has increased five times compared with seven years ago.

It still cannot be said that the epidemic is under control

According to Wang Ming, director of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of new HIV-infected people reported in Guangzhou in 2009 was about 1,600; The number of reported cases has dropped by more than 10% during the same period this year. "This has something to do with the fact that over the years Guangzhou has strengthened its efforts to dissuade people who take drugs and share needles, and has introduced methadone replacement therapy to reduce the HIV infection rate among drug addicts. On the one hand, it has strengthened peer education with many NGO organizations, especially for workers in entertainment venues. AIDS prevention knowledge and education are closely linked.”

Wang Ming said that infections caused by sexual transmission still account for the majority of new reported cases, while cases of infections caused by sharing needles are on a downward trend year by year. Since there is a relatively long cycle from the occurrence of high-risk behaviors to the diagnosis of AIDS, and there is a certain lag, the decrease in reported cases in Guangzhou this year cannot be said to be a sign that the epidemic is under control. “Only when the cases show a downward trend for several consecutive years can we dare to say that the epidemic has been controlled or alleviated. This still needs to be further increased by the government’s attention to AIDS prevention work and more and more NGO organizations joining the AIDS epidemic. Prevention work is coming.”

The infection rate among gay men is increasing

According to reports, among sexual transmission, which occupies the main route of HIV transmission, the rate of HIV infection continues to increase due to sex between men. High morbidity and infection rates. In 2003, the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a survey on the AIDS incidence rate among gay men in Guangzhou. At that time, it was only 1.7%. This year, the infection rate among this group has reached over 7%, an increase of nearly five times. "Prevention and intervention work related to gay men have gradually become the focus of AIDS prevention work." Wang Ming said that gay men tend to exist among intellectual groups and are more common in ordinary colleges and universities, so this on-site event was held in colleges and universities.

The role of NGO organizations in AIDS prevention is becoming increasingly obvious

Wang Ming said that NGO organizations in Guangzhou have gradually grown into an important force in the field of AIDS prevention and treatment. There are currently 11 NGO organizations active on the frontline of HIV/AIDS prevention in Guangzhou, of which 6 are dedicated to behavioral intervention among gay men. According to incomplete statistics, with the support of two international funds, NGO organizations in Guangzhou can serve about 1,000 HIV-infected and AIDS patients every year. Last year, the NGO organization mobilized more than 3,700 gay men, female sex workers and drug addicts to participate in HIV testing.