HIV in China is also being spread via sexual contact and heterosexual transmission now accounts for about 7% of all cases (4). There are a few reasons for this trend. Firstly, an increasing proportion of the country's youth are no longer waiting until marriage before they have sex (6) . This large demographic of 15 to 24 year old persons is estimated at approximately 210 million (6) . A history of multiple sex partners is also increasing among young Chinese, especially in the more urban areas. Traditional Chinese conservatism has made it difficult to talk openly about sexual matters, particularly in the older generation. Lack of public health knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS also represents a problem, with many contemporary Chinese knowing very little about sexually transmitted diseases and their prevention (5) . A recent survey showed that less than 3% of people were aware that condoms minimized the risk of HIV infection and only 21% knew they could be infected through sexual intercourse. Furthermore, almost 20% of the respondents had never even heard of HIV or AIDS (5) .