China concentrates on AIDS prevention, control

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 19, 2003

China concentrates on AIDS prevention, control

This year has been "a turning point and a milestone" for China's AIDS prevention and control efforts, says Qian Xinzhong, former Minister of Health.

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This year has been "a turning point and a milestone" for China's AIDS prevention and control efforts, says Qian Xinzhong, former Minister of Health.

Qian said that the great efforts of the Chinese government, and the supports from all circles of society contributed to remarkable progress in China's AIDS prevention and control work this year.

Gao Qiang, vice Minister of Health, raised five anti-HIV measures at the 58th UN Assembly's special session of AIDS this September.

The measures meant a larger range of government's responsibility on AIDS prevention and control including free HIV treatment for poor sufferers, establishment of AIDS control centers, the legislation of AIDS-related laws and international cooperation.

This signified the Chinese government now regarded AIDS prevention and control as a strategic issue, concerning social stability, economic development and national security, he said.

"What was more important, 22 Chinese top scientists jointly appealed to society as a whole to take part in the anti-HIV work," Qian said, "and this showed China's AIDS problem had drawn the attention of the public."

He Zuoxiu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that changing views on AIDS sufferers would be a prerequisite for Aids prevention and control in China.

"It is a violation of human rights to judge HIV carriers immoral", he said, "we should treat them as normal patients like people who catch a cold or a stomach-ache."

He hoped that society as a whole would take a tolerant attitude toward HIV carriers. He also hoped that Chinese academia would make every effort to change society's views on sex, so that HIV carriers would stride out of the psychological shadows and help halt the progress of the epidemic.

Zeng Yi, chairman of the Chinese Foundation for Prevention of STD and AIDS, thought that the publicity and education on AIDS was indispensable for China's anti-HIV campaign.

The Chinese government had increased investment in construction of blood stations and AIDS prevention and control centers, said Zeng.

"However, it is impossible for the government to afford the entire cost", he said, "so society, especially private enterprises, ought to support the publicity work."

According to reports released by the Ministry of Health, in China HIV is an epidemic covering 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. There are 840,000 HIV-carriers, among whom 80,000 suffer AIDS.

Zeng warned that the number of Chinese HIV-carriers would reach10 million unless effective measures were taken and sufficient anti-HIV education work was done.

"If every Chinese donates two yuan (about 24 US cents), we can promise that in three years' time six million Chinese will be spared from the disease because of the timely and effective publicity", Zeng said.

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