CRI NEWS

China Pledges Stronger Efforts in AIDS Prevention

2004-12-1 8:48:13 CRIENGLISH.com

With the rapid increase in the number of people testing HIV-positive in China, the government says it will further improve its surveillance system against the disease.

According to a report on the spread of HIV in China released by the Chinese Government and the 'UN AIDS' organisation, the figure of reported HIV positive cases has exceeded 89 thousand so far.

Meanwhile, the number of newly infected people in the first nine months of this year was more than 29 thousand - up 40% on the total increase for the whole of last year. The report also says the spread of infection from high-risk groups to ordinary people is accelerating in China.

However, experts have estimated that the real number of HIV positive cases in China may be nearer to one million.

Vice Health Minister Wang Longde says the current situation is extremely serious, and tougher measures will be taken, with the emphasis on a better surveillance system.

"The monitoring will be carried out in full scale, even in regions with fewer cases. Consultation centres will be increased, and each county should have at least one hospital that can test for the HIV virus."

The health official says China currently has 247 HIV test centres, and 42 behaviour monitoring centres in 19 provinces, which gather up-to-date information on the spread of HIV.

At the same time, free treatment will be extended to more patients. In the first nine months, more than 18 thousand patients were eligible for free treatment in China, and by the end of this year, the number is expected to be between 30 and 50 thousand.

Wang Longde says traditional Chinese medicines will be used for those who show milder symptoms.

"Practice has proved that traditional medicines are effective at improving patients' immunity. The Health Ministry has set up a research team on this, and we plan to provide treatment using traditional medicine to patients who do not need anti-virus treatment at the moment."

Besides treating patients, China has launched a widespread education campaign on AIDS, with the help of national celebrities and the media.

But to ease the ordinary person's fear of AIDS - and not least the stigma attached to it -uch more needs to be done.

Liu Wei, CRI News.

Copyright of crienglish.com. All rights reserved. Reproduction of text for non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that both the source and author are acknowledged and a notifying email is sent to us.

Recommend


Your Comment

Your Nick Name or Email: I want to say:
View comments on this article All news comments