Feature: Living with AIDS (2)

She set up the Ruili Red Ribbon Home in May 2006 with the support of the ACC, the Ruili AIDS prevention and control bureau and the municipal center for disease control and prevention.

"Our NGO provides consultations and psychological support to people with HIV/AIDS, distributes medicine, visits patients in hospital and organizes group activities to help AIDS patients and HIV carriers bond with each other," said Zhang.

The Ruili Red Ribbon Home is currently helping 723 people living with HIV/AIDS and has helped over 900 people in total since its inception, Zhang said.

According to figures from the Ministry of Health, China registered 429,000 AIDS patients and HIV carriers as of the end of September, up by nearly 60,000 over the past 11 months.

In Ruili's Dai-Jingpo autonomous prefecture of Dehong, over 60,000 people were tested from January to October and 380 of them were found to be HIV-positive, said Zhang Miaoyun, head of the municipal AIDS prevention and control bureau.

"In 2010, we tested 31,000 people and found 390 new infections, while in 2009, 438 new cases were found among the 30,000 people taking the test," the official said, indicating that the number of new infections has been dropping.