Abstract
BackgroundUnderstanding the demographic characteristics of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) or nonmarital noncommercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) is important for HIV/AIDS prevention and control.MethodsCases reported through the Chinese HIV/AIDS Case Reporting System (CRS) from 2015 to 2018 were analyzed. A descriptive and preliminary inferential analysis were performed for those demographic characteristics deemed of interest.ResultsOverall, 523,121 identified PLWHA between 2015 and 2018 in the CRS were analyzed. The constituent ratio of heterosexual transmission increased from 66.25% in 2015 to 71.48% in 2018. The proportion of CHC heterosexual transmission decreased from 40.18% in 2015 to 37.99% in 2018, while that of NMNCHC increased from 46.33% in 2015 to 49.02% in 2018. PLWHA infected through NMNCHC were significantly younger than those who were infected through CHC (Student’s t test, P < 0.0001), with an average age gap ranging from 5.63 (2015) to 7.46 (2018) years, and the average age of both groups increased annually. The frequency of newly identified PLWHA who were infected through CHC had a remarkable increase among the ages of 65 and above. Gender distribution was significantly different between CHC and NMNCHC (χ2 = 8909.00(2015), 9941.90(2016), 11,004.00 (2017), 12,836.00(2018), all P < 0.0001), and the ratio of men to women in the NMCHC group was 1.50:1 (2015), 1.51:1 (2016), 1.54:1 (2017), and 1.52:1 (2018), while in the commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) group, these ratios were 11.45:1 (2015), 12.08:1 (2016), 12.53:1 (2017), and 13.28:1 (2018). Marital status was significantly different between CHC and NMNCHC (χ2 = 94.67 (2015), 109.88(2016), 58.18(2017), 152.38(2018), all P < 0.0001). As the educational level improved, the proportion of NMNCHC also increased (Cochran - Armitage test, P < 0.0001).ConclusionsWe found that heterosexual transmission was the primary mode of HIV transmission in China from 2015 to 2018. PLWHA infected through CHC and NMNCHC had different characteristics in age, gender, marital status, and educational level. The frequency of PLWHA infected through CHC increased substantially in the age group of 65 and above. This study provides useful baseline data for future studies on the heterosexual transmission of HIV in China.
Highlights
Understanding the demographic characteristics of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLWHA) infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) or nonmarital noncommercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) is important for HIV/AIDS prevention and control
The proportion of CHC heterosexual transmission decreased from 40.18% in 2015 to 37.99% in 2018, while that of NMNCHC increased from 46.33% in 2015 to 49.02% in 2018
people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) infected through NMNCHC were significantly younger than those who were infected through CHC (Student’s t test, P < 0.0001), with an average age gap ranging from 5.63 (2015) to 7.46 (2018) years, and the average age of both groups increased annually
Summary
Understanding the demographic characteristics of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) infected through commercial heterosexual contact (CHC) or nonmarital noncommercial heterosexual contact (NMNCHC) is important for HIV/AIDS prevention and control. In 2013, 90.8% of newly identified HIV infections and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases were reported to have been transmitted through sexual contact, among which heterosexual transmission accounted for 69.4% of the total cases [2]. Newly reported people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) infected through heterosexual contact made up approximately twothirds of the total number of cases [3, 4]. According to the report of the National AIDS and STD Epidemic in the third quarter of 2018, 29,416 cases of newly identified HIV/AIDS cases in China were transmitted through heterosexual contact, accounting for 71.1% of the total [5]. To distinguish among different types of heterosexual contact, the option of a contact history, including commercial or noncommercial heterosexual contact, was added as a subclassification of nonmarital heterosexual transmission in the Chinese HIV/AIDS Case Reporting
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