China says AIDS
efforts must include gay men

Chinese vice health minister Wang Longde last week said that HIV education and prevention efforts in the country must include gay men if they are to be successful, Xinhua News Agency reports. He said all levels of government must recognize this at-risk population, noting that because homosexuality is taboo in the nation, gay men often have sex with other men secretly while also maintaining relationships with women. A recent survey in the country found that 22.2% of China's gay and bisexual men have had more than 100 sexual partners and that 17.4% have had both male and female sex partners. Wang also said the country's health ministry is analyzing HIV surveillance data gathered throughout the country in an effort to more accurately predict the number of HIV-positive people. The government currently estimates that there are about 840,000 HIV-positive people in China, but some AIDS service organizations say the actual number may be as high as 2 million.