World Health Organization Calls for Urgent Investment in HIV Testing and Early Treatment in China

Almost 300,000 people in China who have HIV – three in 10 – are not aware they are living with the virus. There is still an urgent need to scale up access to HIV testing, and early treatment for those who test positive, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today (Dec 1), designated as World AIDS Day.

“An enormous amount has been achieved through China’s determined response to tackling HIV in the last 15 years, but the job is not yet done. Some of those living with HIV still don’t know it – which means they risk getting sick and dying if they don’t receive antiretroviral treatment,” said Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, WHO representative in China.

In 2015, there are an estimated 850,000 people living with HIV in China. The overall HIV prevalence in the Chinese population is low at 0.06 percent – however HIV infections rates are higher among key affected populations such as sex workers (0.2 percent), people who inject drugs (5.9 percent) and men who have sex with men (8 percent). At the end of October 2015, more than 4,000 clinics nationwide were providing free antiretroviral therapy, and an estimated 366,000 people living with HIV were on antiretroviral treatment.

“We need to reach more people with an HIV test – so everyone living with HIV can benefit from the effective treatments that are available today,” Schwartländer said.

There is also a pressing need to improve access to treatment for people living with HIV. Only four in 10 people living with HIV in China are receiving antiretroviral treatment. This is similar to the global average for treatment access, WHO said.

“People who are HIV positive need to get started on treatment much earlier – before the virus damages the immune system and they fall sick. And we need to make the treatment regime simpler and easier to manage, in a fixed dose combination – one pill per day. Most African and Asian countries have this treatment regime in place – but China doesn’t, and this needs to change. Effective treatment with consistent viral suppression is also one of the most effective means to stop the transmission of the virus,” Schwartländer said.

In China, experience from various provinces shows both the feasibility and effectiveness of getting people onto antiretroviral treatment immediately following diagnosis and confirmation of HIV infection. Successful pilots in Guangxi, for example, reduced the average time from diagnosis to treatment from 53 to five days – decreasing AIDS-related deaths by two-thirds.

“Investing now in more and better testing, and earlier and better treatment, will put China on track to an AIDS-free future. And of course, we must continue to focus on preventing new infections in the first place – by providing the information and tools that people need to effectively protect themselves from HIV,” Dr Schwartländer said.

“We’ve seen in so many areas that China can achieve incredible things when it sets its mind to overcoming a challenge, so we know it can be done. Ending the HIV epidemic can be a reality in China,” Dr Schwartländer concluded.

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Photo: CCTV News Features