AIDS threatens elderly but stigma hinders treatment

China has reported a soaring number of the elderly living with HIV/AIDS, but getting them treatment remains a thorny task for grassroots medical professionals as the stigma of the incurable epidemic lingers. Figures revealed Wednesday by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the number of HIV-positive men in their 60s and above accounted for 8.9 percent of the country's total last year, while the group only took up 2.2 percent in 2005. The surge in HIV infections among the elderly was mainly caused by elderly men's increasing involvement in sexual services, as their sexually active period has been prolonged due to improved living standards and health conditions, according to Wu Zunyou, director of the CDC HIV/AIDS prevention and control center. "Some old men have adopted a more open attitude to sex than before, and nowadays, they have more access to commercial sex, especially cheap services," said Lu Lin, director of the CDC in the southwestern Yunnan province. In addition, the increasing number of the HIV-positive elderly also resulted from the country's intensifying HIV testing efforts, Lu added. Statistics from the CDC in Yunnan show that HIV-infected men in their 60s and above account for 8.3 percent of the province's total this year, 2.1 percent higher than 2010. By the end of October, Yunnan reported 93,567 HIV carriers and AIDS patients, the most among all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Although it has become pressing for the government to tackle the growing prevalence of AIDS among the elderly, the stigma remains a major obstacle for such initiatives.