China Faces AIDS RampageAIDS has been at a time now spreading fast in China. Should the virus not be effectively curbed right away and allowed to rampage as a national scourge China would become one of the countries with the largest AIDS infected population in the world.Lately, a visit was made by the journalist to "AIDS Prevention and Cure Study Group", one of the "863 Program" project of Guangzhou-based Jinan University. Doctor Sun Hanxiao, bellwether of the "Study Group", expressed the same worry of his. The "wolf" has come. From AIDS contracted cases first found to a rapid spread of the disease as is seen now in the country, China has failed to build up a fence to ward off the virus. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, there are more than 600,000 patients having contracted with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Things have even been quite serious with Guangdong Province already under threat of a wide spread of the virus. AIDS incidence grows in geometric progression and this is no doubt an ominous message to put people on high alert in China. The "wolf" has come. But we have not a fence erected. Experts pointed out that if the disease should be given a free rein since its first entry, contamination and spread in China it will rampage across the country. The spread of HIV will engender a national disaster and will mean a social economic loss of 460 billion to 770 billion yuan to China. Difficult and arduous study just begins. HIV-infected patients said, "we are willing to have first tests on our bodies." When talking about China's fledging study on the prevention of AIDS, Doctor Sun tenses with a great sense of urgency: people pay much more attention to the development of life sciences than a study on the prevention and cure of AIDS. To the former, the governments never hesitate to pour huge investment, however, they appear stingy on the latter. Doctor Sun brought her study results back to China after completing study on HIV in Canada. Sun's fruitful study on AIDS prevention and cure has acquired funds on the national "863" Program. Jinan University made most of sci-tech fruits for 11 million yuan to make up the shortage of funds and see to it that study results be jointly shared. Knowing Sun's study on AIDS prevention and cure, many HIV patients wrote to her to express their willingness to have first tests. A letter from a 28-year-old surgeon is particularly lamentable. He hurt his hand when handling cases for his patients. For professional habit, he still remembered to sanitize his wound with alcohol. However, what is absolutely out of his expectation is that he has got infected. The most unfortunate thing is he was not aware of the fact for a few years his wife was therefore infected and so was his new-born daughterĄ. Happiness of the whole family since that moment was dashed. At present, China has only one center for AIDS prevention and treatment set up in Beijing. In June 2000, Sino-UK AIDS Prevention and Cure Cooperative Project was formally launched in the capital. Irrespective of this, studies in other regions are far from systematic. All of these are obviously not enough for China such a country that sees AIDS spreads so quickly. Scientists have found out the structural sequence of HIV. However, they still can not grasp the principles of high variability after HIV intrudes into human bodies. Currently AIDS patients are being treated mainly by the "cocktail method" which has serious side effect and is also very expensive. HIV co-receptors have been widely adopted for AIDS treatment in foreign countries. Patent products from the US, redeveloped RANTES, have been approved for clinical experiments. Japan's patent products, innovated chemotactic factor T22, have also been used on clinical test. Sun Hanxiao is engaged in genome projects for providing cure and prevention of HIV infection (vMF for abbreviation) which is to be approved for clinical experiments in two years. Experts call for more centers for AIDS prevention and treatment and more research bases to save lives Whether the extending tendency of AIDS can be effectively curbed is of vital importance to the safety of the Chinese nation. Experts demand that more AIDS prevention and cure centers and research bases are to be had so that more lives be saved as early as possible. Deficient understanding and lack of investment form the main reason for China's backward study on HIV. It is said that few local officials think AIDS report will damage their images thereupon handle the issue passively. No self-deceiving attitude should be taken for things will be exacerbated. Those HIV carriers who remain undiscovered are just like bombs to explode. They are victims and carriers to do harm to others as well. Researchers said more centers for AIDS prevention and treatment will help a study into other virus and find new cure to cancer. By PD Online Staff Du Minghua |
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