Sex Is Most Common Cause of HIV in China

Sufferers claim government is concealing epidemic

(NEWSER) - A surge in patients who have many of the symptoms of HIV but no trace of the virus is baffling health authorities in China. The condition is the result of a mental, not a physical, problem, doctors insist. But sufferers distrust China's medical authorities and believe the government is covering up an epidemic. Dozens of Internet chat rooms are filled with comments from people who believe they have the mystery illness. More»

Officials rip 'vulgar' park

(NEWSER) - China's revolutionary sex theme park has been crushed before it could even get off the ground, reports the BBC. Just as the world press was touting "Love Land" and its giant plastic genitalia and sexual technique workshops, outraged Chinese officials were demolishing the park that had been slated to open in October. The owners were "interested only in profiting from sensationalism," a government official told the China Daily today. The park is "vulgar, ill-minded, and misleading." More»

(NEWSER) - The number of people over the age of 50 with HIV is growing swiftly worldwide, AFP reports. In America, the percentage of those infected with the virus in that age group rose from 20% to 25% between 2003 and 2006, says a WHO report. In Brazil, the over-50 infection rate doubled between 1996 and 2006. More»

City well above national average

(NEWSER) - Sex in the Big Apple comes with a higher risk of herpes than the national average, the New York Post reports. A full 26% of the city's inhabitants carry the virus that causes genital herpes. The condition only manifests itself in 15% of carriers but health officials warn that herpes carriers are two to three times more likely to get HIV, and urge that people pay special attention to safe sex in the city. More»

Sex education hasn't caught up

(NEWSER) - After years of Maoist repression, during which sex was considered bourgeois and hand-holding was a major taboo, Beijing is alive with seedy clubs and no-tell motels catering to one-night stands. Most Chinese—60% to 70%—have indulged in premarital sex, compared with just 15% in 1989. But lingering disapproval has kept the revolution largely underground, the AP reports. More»