By Li Muzi
The number of people living with HIV in mainland China continues to grow, with recent domestic media reports highlighting a steady rise in infections among older adults. In Zhejiang Province alone, people aged 50 and above accounted for a staggering 39.2 percent of newly-reported HIV cases this year.
According to China Newsweek, the number of HIV infections and AIDS cases among older adults has been steadily rising in recent years. Provinces such as Zhejiang and Guangdong have seen a notable uptick, with official data showing that older age groups are being affected the most — a trend that public health experts warn is likely to intensify as China’s population continues to age.
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Older adults account for a growing share of new HIV cases
Liang Xiaofeng, former deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and current director of the Institute for Disease Prevention and Control at Jinan University, warned that as China’s population continues to age, the number of older adults living with HIV and AIDS is likely to increase by an alarming. “This trend deserves early and serious attention,” said Liang.
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Zhao Ting, a staff member at a county-level CDC in southwest China responsible for HIV management, said she has observed a clear rise in HIV infections among people over 50 in her jurisdiction over the past several years.
She noted that the county records dozens of new elderly cases each year, with most cases still in the early stages of infection when discovered.
National data shows sharp growth since 2015
A 2023 study published in the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology by Lv Fan, deputy director of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention at the China CDC, and others found that the number of newly reported HIV infections among people aged 50 and above increased from nearly 33,000 cases in 2015 to nearly 52,000 cases in 2022.
Among them, the number of infections in people aged 60 and above rose from more than 17,400 in 2015 to over 27,000 in 2022, with cases mainly concentrated in certain provinces in southwestern and southern China, where HIV prevalence is relatively high.
The study also found that from 2015 to 2022, over 90 percent of newly reported HIV infections among older adults were transmitted through heterosexual contact, with 44.8 percent involving commercial sexual activity.
Male infections outnumbered female infections by about three to one. The affected population generally had lower levels of education and was largely engaged in agricultural work.
Provinces with the highest number of HIV infections
According to SETN News, citing the latest data released by China’s National Disease Control Administration, the top 10 regions by number of HIV/AIDS cases in 2024 were:
- Sichuan: 174,700 (ranked first nationwide)
- Guangxi: 123,200
- Chongqing: 116,000
- Yunnan: 115,200
- Guizhou: 103,200
- Xinjiang: approximately 101,000
- Hunan: 45,200
- Guangdong: 40,300
- Beijing: 39,100
- Jiangxi: 35,500
Geographically, Sichuan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xinjiang form a clear “southwestern belt of high HIV prevalence.” China CDC data from the second quarter of 2024 showed that the country has approximately 1.33 million people currently living with HIV/AIDS. If an estimated 30 percent of undiagnosed cases are included, this suggests that roughly one in every 1,000 people may be infected.
Observers note that these figures reflect only officially released data, and many question their accuracy, believing the actual numbers may be significantly higher.
Spreading like wildfire
The severity of China’s HIV situation is not limited to the elderly. In February, Tide News reported that Zhejiang’s CDC saw HIV consultation hotlines ring two to three times more frequently than usual in the two workdays following the Lunar New Year holiday.
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CDC experts warned that HIV is a serious infectious disease with high mortality, currently incurable and without a vaccine, and that it is spreading silently within society.
Liu Yan, an attending gynecologist at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, said in a video posted on her Douyin account “Yanyan Doctor”: “HIV is everywhere — it could be right next to you,” said Liu. She added that China had 1.2 million HIV patients in 2022, meaning one out of every 1,200 people was living with HIV, with the highest prevalence in Sichuan and Guangxi.
Zhang Xiaohua, deputy director of the Infection and Immunology Clinic at Zhengzhou Sixth People’s Hospital, also told mainland media. “We’ve found many university students, high school students, even junior high students — including top-performing students — who come in secretly. Once tested, they’re already infected. They sit there crying uncontrollably. Parents never imagine their children could face this. The youngest patient was only 13 years old.”
Allegations of a cover-up
Commentators have argued that sexual misconduct among CCP officials, and its trickle-down effects, have contributed to the wider spread of HIV.
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In April, online reports claimed that Gu Yujun, Party secretary of Yingjing County in Ya’an, Sichuan, was found to have HIV after being placed under investigation. He allegedly confessed to having sexual relationships with 18 female subordinates and associates. Reports claimed that subsequent screenings of women in local government and public institutions identified over 1,000 infections, with the true number unknown.
In November 2024, online reports claimed that Gu, head of the Education Bureau in Beiliu City, Yulin, Guangxi, tested positive for HIV after being arrested for drunk driving. The reports said dozens — or possibly hundreds — of young female teachers were subsequently subjected to mass health screenings. Authorities quickly denied the reports and censored online discussion.
Mainland China under CCP rule has long been criticized as being governed through coercion and corruption. Reports have suggested that over 95 percent of disgraced officials kept mistresses, and that sexual misconduct has become normalized across multiple layers of society.
Some commentators argue that under the example set by corrupt officials — combined with the distortions of power and money — society has been drawn into a vast moral crisis, with traditional Chinese views on family, marriage, and values being severely eroded.
