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Review
. 2019 Dec;16(6):458-466.
doi: 10.1007/s11904-019-00471-4.

History of the HIV Epidemic in China

Zunyou Wu  1   2 , Junfang Chen  3 , Sarah Robbins Scott  4 , Jennifer M McGoogan  4
Affiliations
Review

History of the HIV Epidemic in China

Zunyou Wu et al. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This study aims to review the history of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection epidemic in China.

Recent findings: The HIV infection epidemic in China has evolved significantly over the past 35 years, from initially exclusively within people who inject drugs (PWID), to outbreaks due to plasma collection contamination in the mid-1990s, to now almost exclusive transmission via sexual contact. The number of newly-diagnosed cases and the number HIV-related deaths have increased each year since 2004, coinciding with a massive scale-up of both HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy initiation. The proportion of cases diagnosed later in their disease progression has remained constant. The initial outbreaks of HIV across China were identified quickly and the overall trends have been monitored. While the HIV epidemic among PWID has been well managed, the growing HIV epidemic via sexual contact has grown more complex and even more difficult to control.

Keywords: Case reporting; China; Control; Diagnosis; Epidemic; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; Prevalence; Surveillance; Transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Geographic distribution of PLWH in China in 1998, b Geographic distribution of PLWH in China in 2008, (c) Geographic distribution of PLWH in China in 2018
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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