Prevalence of HIV infection, syphilis and hepatitis C in female sex workers in China, 2010-2015

Objective To understand the prevalence of HIV infection, syphilis and hepatitis C in female sex workers(FSWs) in China from 2010 to 2015, and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of HIV infection, syphilis and hepatitis C in this population. Methods Consecutivecross-sectional survey with uniformed anonymous questionnaire was conducted in FSWs during the sentinel surveillance, their basic demographic information and blood samples were collected. Statistical software SPSS 18.0 was used for data processing and analysis. Results A total of 1 180 926 FSWs were surveyed from 2010 to 2015. The average prevalence was 0.25% for HIV infection (2 898/1 180 926), 2.54% for syphilis (30 028/1 180 926) and 0.72% for hepatitis C (8 559/1 180 926), which declined with year. The prevalence differed in FSWs with different demographic characteristics, the prevalence HIV infection, syphilis and hepatitis C were high in FSWs who were aged31 years, in minority ethnic group, foreigners, with primary school education level or below, divorced and widowed. The prevalence were higher in street FSWs than in other FSWs, the differences were significant (2=2 807.11, P0.01 for HIV infection, 2=8 230.48, P0.01 for syphilis and 2=778.30, P0.01 for hepatitis C).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that drug use (OR=17.82, 95% CI: 16.02-19.82), low educational level (OR=1.79, 95% CI: 1.58-2.03), being street roadside FSWs (OR=2.74, 95% CI: 2.40-3.13) were high risk factors for HIV infection. Conclusion The prevalence of syphilis in FSWs was high in China. The prevalence of HIV infection, syphilis and hepatitis C were higher in FSWs who were aged 31 years, less educatedand low paid than other FSWs.