80-year-old man gets HIV from unprotected sex

CHINA - AN 80-YEAR-OLD Chinese man was recently diagnosed with HIV.

Doctors said he probably caught the virus through having frequent unprotected sex. Experts in China believe the virus is spreading fast among the golden age group and this case is the latest to support the opinion.

The octogenarian, from Wuhan, was admitted to the hospital for a lingering fever and was later found to be HIV positive.

The man, who was widowed in his old age, has no record of blood transfusions, but had an active unprotected sexual life, doctors said.

Experts said the spread of HIV has picked up among older Chinese men in recent years because these senior citizens have become healthier, more open-minded about sex, and increasingly bored after retirement.

A recent survey conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows the percentage of new HIV patients aged 50 and above grew from 7.8 to 14.9 per cent this year. Most of them were male, who contracted the virus through sexual intercourse. -- CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Source: The Straits Times