Why are more and more elderly people infected with AIDS? The reason behind this is ignored by many people...

With the development and progress of the times,

The quality of life of the elderly has been significantly improved.

But at the same time,

Some health issues cannot be ignored.

Especially the prevention and control of AIDS .

1 Characteristics of the AIDS epidemic among the elderly

01 The number of infected people is increasing rapidly

my country's situation

The article "Research Progress on Infection Modes of Newly Reported Male HIV-Infected Patients Aged 50 and Above in China" published in the August 2023 issue of the journal "Chinese AIDS and STDs" shows that since the first elderly HIV-infected case was reported in China in 1989, the number and proportion of newly reported elderly HIV-infected people have continued to increase each year .

According to statistics from the Chinese Center for STD and AIDS Prevention and Control, among the newly reported HIV-infected people and patients in my country each year, the proportion of patients aged 50 and above has increased from 22% in 2011 to 44% in 2020.

International situation

UNAIDS estimates that the number of people aged 50 years and over living with HIV worldwide will increase from 5.4 million in 2015 to 8.1 million in 2020.

02 Mainly through sexual transmission

The elderly are mainly infected with HIV through sexual contact . Unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, and prostitution are all high-risk behaviors for HIV infection.

2 Causes of the AIDS epidemic among the elderly

The rising incidence of AIDS among the elderly is becoming a new trend in my country's AIDS epidemic. Among the elderly HIV-infected people, male infections account for more than 70%, much higher than female infections. The proportion of infection through heterosexual sex is 88%, and in some provinces it has reached more than 95%.

Why do the elderly become the key population for HIV infection?

There are several reasons for this result:

01 The crowd is huge

On October 11, 2024, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Working Committee on Aging released the latest data from the "2023 National Aging Development Bulletin": As of the end of 2023, the national population aged 60 and above was 296.97 million, accounting for 21.1% of the total population.

The quality of life and health level of the elderly have been significantly improved, and the size of the group is growing.

02 Sexual needs are ignored

Many elderly people lack sexual life within marriage, have more leisure time, and their physiological needs are not met for a long time; society and families often ignore the normal sexual needs of the elderly group, believing that the elderly do not have frequent sexual life, so the elderly have obstacles in obtaining protective health information and early HIV testing. These factors increase the possibility of unsafe sexual behavior among the elderly and increase the risk of HIV infection.

03 Lack of sexual knowledge

The elderly have a weak sense of safety in their sexual lives. They believe that they will not get pregnant and that there is no need to use condoms. They are prone to engaging in unprotected sex, which increases the risk of infection with AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

04 Physiological dysfunction

The body's functions weaken with age. Once the elderly are infected with HIV, the disease progresses rapidly, which not only damages the immune system but may also cause more complications, bring greater challenges to physical and mental health, and affect the effectiveness of HIV antiviral treatment.

3 Scientific Prevention of AIDS

AIDS is preventable and curable. Doing the following can scientifically prevent AIDS:

Raise awareness of prevention

Actively participate in community cultural publicity and health education activities to enrich your life, understand the basic knowledge of AIDS, and enhance risk prevention awareness.

Avoid unsafe sex

Avoid unsafe sex and insist on using condoms correctly throughout the process.

Early post-exposure prophylaxis

If high-risk behavior that may lead to HIV infection occurs, seek post-exposure prevention services as soon as possible and use blocking drugs within 72 hours to effectively reduce the risk of infection.

Get HIV testing promptly

Once unsafe sexual behavior occurs, HIV testing should be carried out in a timely manner. Early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment can reduce the damage of HIV to the body and improve the quality of life.

HIV prevention knowledge is in our hearts.

Risk awareness is essential.

Avoid high-risk sexual behaviors.

Timely diagnosis and treatment are important.