Gay males account for 1/3 new HIV infections in China

With sexual transmission between gay males accounting for 32 percent of new infections in China last year, Michel Sidibe, the UNAIDS chief said more must also be done to engage the homosexual community, which struggles for acceptance in China.

Sidibe travels to Beijing on Wednesday for talks with Chinese leaders and to launch a new public awareness campaign featuring NBA star Yao Ming on Friday.

He said the involvement of such a popular and high-profile star as Yao was a positive signal that Chinese society was getting more comfortable discussing AIDS.

Health Minister Chen Zhu joined Sidibe at the UNAIDS report's release in Shanghai and acknowledged China faced "a long march" in AIDS prevention and control.

Sidibe said 50 million people are at risk from the disease in China and the government must do more to reach out to civil society and work with vulnerable groups such as homosexuals.

China has 319,877 confirmed HIV cases but 740,000 are estimated to be infected, according to figures compiled by UNAIDS, the World Health Organisation and China's health ministry.

By People's Daily Online/Agencies