HIV/AIDS prevention advocates are encouraging men who have sex with men to get tested for the disease. (Photo : REUTERS)
HIV/AIDS prevention advocates have identified the stigma against gay men as one of the main hindrances to effectively fighting against the autoimmune disease.
"Many gay people in China are forced to have more risky and haphazard relationships as stigma prevents them from keeping long-term partners," said Zhang Jinxiong, an AIDS prevention activist. "To curb the spread of HIV, China needs to stem discrimination against gay people."
According to activists, the key point is that attaching stigma to homosexuality leads to covert and risky behaviors among homosexuals often without access to education and medical help.
"A large number of gay people who had risky sex resist HIV tests because they lack awareness or feel ashamed," said Damien Lu, a blogger on one of China's top gay websites, Aibai.com. "Some even use marriage as a cover for their sexuality, putting their spouses at risk."
The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in China has reached 575,000 by the end of October, according to figures from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The most vulnerable sector is men who have sex with men (MSM).
MSM have the highest infection rate, with around 8 percent of MSM in China living with HIV/AIDS.
Young people have also been particularly vulnerable, with 2,662 new cases of students living with HIV/AIDS reported from January to October. This is a 27.8-percent increase year on year, according to China CDC.
According to more detailed figures from local CDCs, infections among young male students have been rapidly increasing. Of the 92 students infected in Shanghai in 2015, 88 percent were MSM.
