Morning Briefing

HIV transmission in China is increasing faster among men who have sex with men (MSM) than in any other population, a trend that "cannot continue," a group of researchers working in China write in a Nature commentary, adding, "Policymakers, public health researchers, clinicians, educators, community leaders and other stakeholders in China must come together to educate everyone, and gay men in particular, about HIV prevention and treatment -- before any more people become infected as a result of ignorance and fear." They continue, "Chinese people aren't uncomfortable just in discussing homosexuality" but "sex in general," which has resulted in "a pervasive stigma against people with HIV, a lack of general sex education for young people, and poor epidemiological data about the spread of HIV in some populations around the country," as well as "a hidden population of individuals who are afraid to seek out HIV information resources or testing and counseling centers."