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Objectives For migrant female sex workers (FSWs) at the Sino-Vietnamese border, the impact of work time in their current location on the spread of HIV/AIDS is not clear. Methods Data were collected from the Sino-Vietnamese border cities of Guangxi, China. Migrant FSWs working in these cities were studied. FSWs who worked less than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the short-term work group (ST FSWs), and FSWs who worked equal to or longer than 6 months in their current location were assigned to the long-term work group (LT FSWs). Logistic regression was performed to examine the impact of work time in the current location and factors associated with HIV infection. Results Among the 1667 migrant FSWs, 586 (35.2%) and 1081 (64.9%) were assigned to the ST FSW and LT FSW groups, respectively. Compared to LT FSWs, ST FSWs were more likely to be of Vietnamese nationality, be less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, and have a low-level of HIV-related knowledge and had higher odds of using condoms inconsistently, having more male clients, having no regular male clients, and having a history of male clients who used aphrodisiacs but lower odds of receiving free condoms distribution and education/HIV counselling and testing programme. The analysis of factors associated with HIV infection revealed that Vietnamese FSWs, less than 18 years old when they first engaged in commercial sex work, having no regular male clients, and having lower average charge per sex transaction were correlated with HIV infection. Conclusion FSWs with short-term work at the Sino-Vietnamese border had a higher risk of risky sex and were correlated with HIV risk factors. Vietnamese FSWs were at higher risk of HIV infection, and they were more likely to have short-term work. More targeted HIV prevention should be designed for new FSWs who recently began working in a locality to further control the spread of HIV, particularly cross-border FSWs.

Background To analyze the trends of HIV-1 and syphilis prevalence as well as associated factors among local Chinese female sex workers (LCFSWs) and cross-border migrant female sex workers (CMFSWs) in Sino-Vietnam border cities in Guangxi, China. Methods A consecutive cross-sectional study was conducted from 2010 to 2018 in three border cities in Guangxi. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interview with a structured questionnaire. HIV-1 and syphilis infections were tested simultaneously. Cochran-Armitage analysis was used to assess the trends of HIV-1, syphilis and HCV prevalence, as well as the trend of risk behaviors, HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention services. Multivariate logistics regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with HIV-1 and syphilis infection.Results Totally, 19873 LCFSWs and 1723 CMFSWs were enrolled. The overall prevalence of HIV-1 and syphilis infection was 0.91% and 5.14%, respectively. The HIV-1 prevalence among CMFSWs was higher than that among LCFSWs, without a declined trend. However, a downward trend was observed among LCFSWs. Overall, the main associated factors of HIV-1 infection among CMFSWs shifted from age >35 years old, staying in current residence for >12 months, self-reporting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the last year during 2010-2015 to inconsistent condoms use in commercial sex in last month, not receiving peer education and self-reporting STIs in the last year during 2016-2018. The main correlated factors of syphilis infection among CMFSWs changed from history of illicit drug use, staying in current residence for more than 12 months, self-reporting of STIs and inconsistent condoms use in commercial sex in the past month during 2010-2015 to working in low-tier venues, self-reporting of STIs in the last year, and sexing with commercial male clients who used aphrodisiac drugs during 2016-2018. For LCFSWs, the relative strong associated factors of HIV-1 infection shifted from receiving less than 6 years of education, illicit drugs use, and self-reporting STIs in the last year during 2010-2015 to sexing with commercial male clients who use aphrodisiac drugs and self-reporting of STIs during 2016-2018, while the main factors of syphilis infection changed from self-reporting STIs in the last year, history of illicit drug use and receiving less than 9 years of education during 2010-2015 to self-reporting of STIs in the last year, sexing with commercial male clients who use aphrodisiac drugs, and history of illicit drugs use during 2016-2018.Conclusions The relatively higher prevalence of HIV-1 infection and frequent risk behaviours among CMFSWs in border cities in Guangxi, indicating that CMFSWs is the high-risk population for HIV-1 infection and transmission in the region, and is the key population of HIV/AIDS prevention and control. Meanwhile, the change of HIV infection-associated risk factors over time suggests that HIV intervention strategies need to be changed accordingly.