Men who have sex with men (MSM) are responsible for a growing share of AIDS transmissions in Beijing, new research has indicated.
Although official figures have not been released for 2015, MSM have been responsible for 80 to 90 percent of AIDS spread in the capital this year, according to Wu Hao, head of a the research project and director of the Center against Infection under Beijing Youan Hospital.
According to government statistics, MSM accounted for 73.5 percent of AIDS transmission in Beijing in 2013. That number jumped to 82 percent in 2014.
"Sexual contact between men is the biggest difficulty Beijing faces in terms of AIDS prevention and control," Wu told Xinhua on Wednesday.
MSM have been recognized worldwide as one of the three groups most vulnerable to HIV infection, along with sex workers and drug users.
The Internet is providing MSM, many of whom lead closeted lives due to the stigma and family pressure that prevail in China, with more opportunity to look for casual sexual partners, said AIDS expert Shen Zhiyong.
An official 2007 survey showed that nearly half of the more than 400 Chinese MSM respondents, aged 27 on average, said they would try to seek more sex partners if provided with easier access to the Internet.
