China Has More HIV Carriers

As evident of China's rapid increase in the cases of HIV carriers, the Health Ministry said On October 31 the total reported cases had reached 20,711 by the end of September, up 37 percent from a year earlier.

Among them 741 have developed into AIDS patients and 397 died from the disease, said the ministry.

The ratio of male to female HIV carriers stands at 5.2:1, those in the 20-29 age group account for about 56 percent and those in the 30-39 age group make up 24 percent, said the report, adding that intravenous drug use accounts for 72 percent of the total cases.

However, experts estimated the total number of HIV carriers in the country had already reached 500,000 by the end of last year.

To curb the spread of AIDS, China has built 600 prevention and treatment centers in 22 provinces and autonomous regions, with stress laid on entertainment girls, venereal disease patients and drug users, said Yin Dakui, deputy minister of health.

In another development, the State Drug Administration promulgated measures today to strengthen supervision over the production and use of sterile medical instruments and crack down on false and inferior medical instruments.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/