OBJECTIVEWe aimed to elucidate the rates of repeat HIV testing and incident HIV diagnosis, and baseline CD4+ T cell count among individuals attending HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clinics in Wuxi, China.

METHODSA repeat HIV testing within 12 months was recorded if individuals had their first test with negative results, during 2013-2014 and retested within 12 months. An incident HIV diagnosis was recorded if individuals had their first test with negative results, during 2013-2015 and had a subsequent positive result at any point by the end of 2015. Data on HIV testing and diagnosis among individuals attending 32 VCT clinics from 2013 to 2015 and HIV diagnosis from other clinical services in Wuxi, China, were retrieved. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze factors associated with repeat HIV testing. Cox regression was used to evaluate factors associated with incident HIV diagnosis.

RESULTSFrom 2013 to 2014, 11,504 individuals tested HIV negative at their first recorded test, with 655 (5.7%) retesting within 12 months. Higher repeat HIV testing within 12 months was associated with male gender [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4-2.2], risk behaviors [commercial heterosexual behaviors (aOR = 1.4, CI: 1.1-1.6), male-male sexual behaviors (aOR = 3.7, CI: 2.7-4.9)], injection drug use (aOR = 9.9, CI: 6.5-15.1), and having taken HIV tests previously (aOR = 2.0, CI: 1.6-2.4). From 2013 to 2015, 1,088 individuals tested negative on HIV test at their visit and at ⋝ 2 subsequent tests; of them 30 had incident HIV diagnosis. The overall rate of incident HIV diagnosis among all VCT individuals was 1.6 (95% CI: 1.1-2.1) per 100 person-years. Incident HIV diagnosis was associated with male gender [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 8.5, 95% CI: 1.9-38.1], attending hospital-based VCT clinics (aHR = 7.8, 95% CI: 1.1-58.3), and male-male sexual behavior (aHR = 8.4, 95% CI: 1.5-46.7). Individuals diagnosed at VCT clinics had higher CD4+ T cell count compared with those diagnosed at other clinical services (median 407 vs. 326 copies/mm3, P = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONVCT individuals in Wuxi, China, had a low repeat HIV testing rate and high HIV incidence. VCT-clinic-based interventions aimed at increasing repeat HIV testing are needed to detect more cases at an earlier stage, especially among individuals at high risk for HIV infection such as men who have sex with men.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of blood donation and associated factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Methods: Our observational study was conducted between January and August, 2017 in 3 cities: Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Wuxi. Eligible participants were MSM (≥18 years old) who had either ≥2 male sex partners or unprotected anal sex with casual partners, or had been diagnosed with STI in the past 6 months. A self-completed tablet-based questionnaire was used to collect the information about MSM's socio-demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors and blood donation history. Results: A total of 603 MSM were enrolled in our study, including 302 in Guangzhou, 152 in Shenzhen and 149 in Wuxi, with a mean age of 27.9 years (SD=7.8). Overall, 29.2% (176/603) of the MSM reported a history of blood donation, and 33.1% (100/302)in Guangzhou, 27.6% (42/152) in Shenzhen and 22.8% (34/149) in Wuxi, the differences were not significant (χ(2)=6.421, P=0.093). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that MSM had ever tested for HIV for ≥2 times in the past 12 months (vs. MSM tested for HIV one time, aOR=1.49, 95%CI: 1.08-2.19) or who had ever used gay dating app (vs. MSM who not used gay dating app, aOR=2.13, 95%CI: 1.12-4.44) were more likely to donate blood. Conclusions: Blood donation was common in MSM in China. Health education about blood donation in MSM should be strengthened to ensure the blood safety.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Blood Donors ; China ; Cities ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Homosexuality, Male/statistics & numerical data* ; Humans ; Male ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexual Partners ; Surveys and Questionnaires