Performed the experiments: EPFC. Analyzed the data: EPFC. This study aims to estimate the magnitude and changing trends of HIV, syphilis and HIV-syphilis co-infections among men who have sex with men MSM in China during β through a systematic review of published literature.
The prevalence estimates were summarized and analysed by meta-analyses. Meta-regression was used to identify the potential factors that are associated with high heterogeneities in meta-analysis. Seventy-one eligible articles were selected in this review 17 in English and 54 in Chinese. Syphilis prevalence increased from 6. HIV-syphilis co-infection increased from 1. Study locations and study period are the two major contributors of heterogeneities of both HIV and syphilis prevalence among Chinese MSM.
Scale-up of HIV and syphilis screening and implementation of effective public health intervention programs should target MSM to prevent further spread of HIV and syphilis infection. Over the last decade in many international settings there have been resurgences in syphilis epidemics among men who have sex with men MSM , which have been strongly associated with the increases in HIV incidence [1] β [5].
Until relatively recently, syphilis has been well-controlled in much of the world, including China; syphilis was nearly eradicated in China in [6]. Syphilis infection has now returned to become one of the top five most reported notifiable diseases in China [7] β [10].
There was a fold increase in syphilis diagnoses in China from 0. The estimated number of people living with HIV in China has also increased markedly from , in to , in [14]. In , Sexual exposure has become the primary route of HIV transmission in China in recent years [16] and is the mode of transmission for syphilis infection. There are statistical associations between syphilis infection and HIV acquisition, and due to biologically plausible reasons the presence of such a sexually transmissible infection can facilitate HIV transmission [17] , [18].
