China will hold its first national AIDS conference next month in Beijing to spur vigilance against the disease in all corners of Chinese society.

The conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) will run from November 13 to 16. It will be the first one of its kind in China since the country reported its first AIDS case in 1985.

The total number of confirmed HIV/AIDS cases throughout China was 28,133 at the end of September, said Yin Dakui, vice-minister of Health, Friday in Beijing. But he said the total number of HIV-positive people is estimated to be more than 600,000.

The conference will focus on AIDS prevention and treatment policies and strategies, cooperation among governmental departments, NGOs participation, medical research and disease surveillance, said Dai Zhicheng, secretary-general of the organizing committee.

Health education, behavior modification, medical consultation, treatment and nursing of AIDS patients are also expected to be among the hot topics, he said.

The conference, sponsored by the Ministry of Health, aims to unite the whole society to fight against AIDS and take action to prevent the disease from spreading.

Academic exchanges on AIDS/STD prevention and treatment will be another important part of the conference.

Along with high-ranking Chinese officials and specialists in the field of HIV/AIDS and STD, some volunteers and HIV carriers will also attend.

Dai said that Peter Piot, executive director of the UN Program on HIV/AIDS>, and some renowned foreign experts have been invited to the conference by the organizer.

The World AIDS Conference and the Asia-Pacific regional AIDS conference, which have been held 13 and six times respectively, have succeeded in highlighting the issue of AIDS prevention and treatment around the globe.

Experts warn that China is on the verge of an AIDS epidemic. The issue can no longer be neglected by society, they stress.

While the number of confirmed HIV/AIDS cases has been increasing in China, the number of STD cases reached 860,000 last year. However, experts say the real figure could be five to 10 times higher as many STD cases are not reported.

China plans to keep the annual increase rates of HIV infection and STD cases below 10 percent by the year 2005. The figures have exceeded 30 percent over the past few years.

An evening party encouraging the spirit of non-discrimination against HIV carriers and AIDS patients will also be staged at the end of November and televised nationwide to coincide with World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1.

Hou Peisen, director of the National Health Education Institute of China, said that the performers are from the inland of China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Taiwan Province, and Canada.

( October 27, 2001)