An estimated number of 850,000 people in China had been infected by
the virus of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by the end
of 2001, China's public health authorities announced Thursday.
The Ministry of Health said by the end of last year, 30,736 people
had been confirmed as HIV carriers, among whom 1,594 people were
fully-developed AIDS patients, and 684 of them had died.
HIV/AIDS experts at China's national center for disease control and
prevention estimated that the actual figure of HIV/AIDS cases in
the 1.3-billion people country might have reached 850,000 by the
end of the year 2001 as the level of discovery remains low.
The number of AIDS patients alone might have reached 200,000. The
experts believe that over half of the 200,000 AIDS patients have
lost their lives.
Sharing of needles among intravenous drug users caused 68 percent
of confirmed HIV cases, while unclean operation in the process of
illegal blood deals was responsible for 9.7 percent of HIV
infection. Some 7.2 percent of HIV carriers were victims of unsafe
sex, according to the ministry.
(Xinhua News
Agency April 11, 2002)
