Clinic for HIV/AIDS prevention, control opens at international hospital

The Shanghai United Family Hospital (Changning) launched a clinic service for HIV pre- and post-exposure prophylasix on Wednesday, offering 24-hour health care and medication to those at risk of HIV infection.

The Shanghai Center on Disease Control and Prevention said there were already five facilities with such clinics. They are the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Minhang District Central Hospital, Shanghai Qing'ai Clinic, Minhang District Hongqiao Neighborhood Health Center, and Minhang District Huacao Neighborhood Health Center. United Family Hospital is the first private facility to launch a clinic in downtown Changning District.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis is a medication taken by people without HIV infections but who are at high risk of being exposed to HIV through sex or injected drug use to reduce the chance of infection, while post-exposure prophylaxis is an anti-retroviral medication to prevent HIV infection after possible exposure, and should be used within 72 hours.

There were about 39 million people infected with HIV in the world in 2022, when 1.3 million were newly infected, and 630,000 died of complications from the infection. By the end of 2022, China had reported around 1.22 million individuals living with HIV/AIDS, with a cumulative death toll of 418,000 cases.

"Though HIV/AIDS prevalence remains at a low level in China, those infected should be concerned," said Eddie Liu, executive general manager of the Shanghai United Family Hospital (Chang'ning). "So proper education on HIV/AIDS prevention and control and health care, like the PrEP and PEP clinics, are very important to reduce HIV/AIDS spread, especially among high-risk populations.

"In addition to offering medical services, we will organize regular charity events to promote knowledge and share information on HIV and AIDS. The charge for our PrEP and PEP clinic is also lower than our regular clinics in order to benefit more people.

"Apart from offering medical services, our clinic will also arrange mental health professionals to give psychological support and rehabilitation guidance," Liu said.

Officials from the clinic said a special region was arranged for people seeking for PrEP and PEP service for privacy protection.

"When a person with high-risk behavior arrives at our hospital, we will guide him or her to the special region at the emergency department," said Dr Leon Li, associate chief medical officer at the hospital. "After assessment, we will arrange appropriate blood tests and checks. Medication will be provided in line with the person's health condition as some drugs may have side effects on the liver and kidneys, so doctors will give customized drugs."

HIV/AIDS prevention and control

What is PrEP?

PrEP is used by people who are HIV negative and at high risk of being exposed to HIV through sex or injected drug use. The medication should be taken regularly under doctor's assessment and guidance.

What is PEP?

PEP stands for post-exposure prophylaxis. PEP is for people who have possibly been exposed to HIV and is only for emergency situations. The best time for taking the PEP medicine is within two hours of suspected exposure, while taking it between two and 72 hours can still have an effect, greatly reducing the risk of infection.

The treatment duration is 28 days. People should take medicines strictly following their doctor's prescription and undergo monitoring and blood tests two, four, and 12 weeks after treatment.

Measures for HIV/AIDS prevention and control

Use condoms, reduce high-risk behavior, limit your number of sexual partners, utilize PrEP and PEP services, and have regular HIV tests.

PrEP and PEP clinics in Shanghai

Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Minhang District Central Hospital, Shanghai Qing'ai Clinic, Minhang District Hongqiao Neighborhood Health Center, Minhang District Huacao Neighborhood Health Center, and Shanghai United Family Hospital (Changning).

Shanghai United Family Hospital (Changning) is the first international hospital offering such a service, which is available 24/7. Emergency consultation is available through 021-22163999 (bilingual).