Online tools can help curb HIV infections among young, experts say

Online tools should be used to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention among youngsters, public health experts said on Tuesday, because they account for a significant proportion of new infections each year.

Citing figures from a UN report released in July, Zhou Kai, an official with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS' China Office, said people aged 15 to 24 accounted for 34 percent of the estimated 1.7 million people newly infected with HIV worldwide last year.

There were about 38 million people living with HIV last year, with 10 percent of them among the young population, she said during an event in Beijing held by the Chinese Foundation for the Prevention of STD and AIDS and the Danlan Public Interest Fund ahead of the 33rd World AIDS Day on Dec 1.

In 2018, China reported some 145,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS, but only about 3,000 cases, or 2 percent, were among students aged 15 to 24, according to official data.

Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the number of newly reported HIV infections among students aged 15 to 24 is expected to remain around 3,000 this year.

However, he noted that over 10,000 youngsters are estimated to be infected with the virus in society as a whole each year.

The number of newly reported HIV infections among students aged 15 to 24 rose from 482 in 2008 to 3,077 in 2017 and has since remained at about 3,000 a year. Public health experts say infections on campuses are mainly related to poor awareness of the risk of HIV and proper protective measures.

Wu added that AIDS has been the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in China since 2008.

Data shows that nearly 21,000 people died from AIDS last year, making up about 83 percent of deaths attributed to infectious illnesses.

"This year, deaths caused by HIV infections will be much higher (in China) than lives claimed by COVID-19 infections," Wu said, adding that more effort should be devoted to using the internet to promote HIV prevention. He also highlighted the need to strengthen cooperation across the public and private sectors.

Liang Xiaofeng, vice-president of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, said it's important to guide and educate young people on HIV prevention.

"Tuberculosis, the novel coronavirus and many other infectious illnesses are all straining limited healthcare resources," he said. "This year, the amount of funds, personnel and materials devoted to HIV prevention has dropped slightly as a result."

Lyu Fan, deputy director of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, said a window of opportunity to rein in HIV rates has opened up in recent years thanks to increased government-led efforts, improved diagnosis and treatment methods, and more effective online education.

More agile and diverse awareness campaigns can be rolled out online and through social media platforms to boost efforts to curb the spread of the disease and may become a new focus of the country's HIV prevention strategy in the future, he added.