Scaling up prevention programmes to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV in China

Since 2007, sex has been the major mode of HIV transmission in China, accounting for 75% of new infections in 2009. Reducing sexual transmission is a major challenge for China in controling the HIV epidemic.

This article discusses the pilot programmes that have guided the expansion of sex education and behavioural interventions to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV in China.

Commercial sex became prevalent across China in the early 1980s, prompting some health officials to become concerned that this would fuel an HIV epidemic. Initial pilot intervention projects to increase condom use among sex workers were launched in 1996 on a small scale and, having demonstrated their effectiveness, were expanded nationwide during the 2000s. Since then, supportive policies to expand sex education to other groups and throughout the country have been introduced and the range of targets for education programmes and behavioural interventions has broadened considerably to also include school children, college students, married couples, migrant workers and men who have sex with men.

Prevention programmes for reducing sexual transmission of HIV have reasonable coverage, but can still improve. The quality of intervention needs to be improved in order to have a meaningful impact on changing behaviour to reducing HIV sexual transmission. Systematic evaluation of the policies, guidelines and intervention programmes needs to be conducted to understand their impact and to maintain adherence.