Vice Premier and Minister of Health Wu Yi has
called on all regions to speed up their efforts to prevent and
treat HIV/AIDS, now a serious health problem in some parts of the
nation.
Xinhua published the full text of a speech delivered by Wu last
month at a national working conference on the prevention of
HIV/AIDS.
In her speech, dated April 6, the official called for
implementing central policies and arrangements on the prevention of
the deadly disease, studying the situation and preventive measures,
and looking for effective mechanism, to step up the efforts to
control the disease timely and firmly curb the fast spreading of
the disease in China.
HIV/AIDS is a major health and social problem in the world and
its spread has also brought about severe impacts on economic and
social development of the country, she said.
Since the first report of AIDS patient in 1981, the number of
HIV carriers and AIDS patients has reached 69 million, of whom 27
million have died. So far, 840,000 Chinese have been infected of
HIV and 80,000 of them are AIDS patients, according to official
figures.
China has Asia's second and world's 14th largest HIV/AIDS
population. The majority of HIV carriers and AIDS patients in China
are young people and live in rural areas.
Wu called for further efforts to create public awareness about
the issue; curbing the spread of HIV via blood; cracking down on
crimes that cause the spreading of HIV, such as drug addiction and
prostitution; monitoring the situation carefully; and implementing
government policies and measures on treatment of HIV carriers and
AIDS patients.
While the government has to be the leading force in the efforts
to control HIV spreading, all walks of life should be mobilized to
join hands in the efforts, the official said. She called for
studying international experience and combining it with China's own
situation. The disease should be prevented in accordance with law
and science, she stressed.
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2004)