China is launching a condom campaign to help prevent the spread
of AIDS.
Starting on Sunday, August 1, condoms are to be made available
at a number of public areas, including universities and
entertainment spots. The campaign is starting in areas such as
Beijing and east China’s Jiangsu Province.
In Beijing, a number of condom vending machines will be set up
at universities. Condoms will also be available from vending
machines or staff at hotels, bars and areas habituated by migrant
workers, according to the Municipal Bureau of Health. Free
pamphlets and posters will also be widely employed for AIDS
education.
In addition to ensuring availability of condoms, Jiangsu
provincial authorities are intensifying HIV/AIDS control and
prevention through education. The subject is being added to the
provincial middle school curriculum this autumn. There must be six
classes on AIDS control and prevention in junior high schools every
term, and four classes in senior high schools. Colleges and
universities have been directed to offer no fewer than two elective
courses or lectures on AIDS prevention every term.
In Haikou, the capital of south China’s Hainan Province, the
municipal government has directed the departments of health, public
security and tourism to work together to popularize the use of
condoms.
Sponsored by six ministries, the condom campaign is intended to
help control and prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases. Condoms are one of the most effective ways to
prevent AIDS.
Departments of health at all levels are responsible for public
education on AIDS and the use of the condoms.
China has an officially estimated 840,000 HIV carriers and about
80,000 AIDS patients. Many experts believe that actual number may
be far higher. If the situation is not controlled, experts predict
that the number of HIV carriers in the country could hit 10 to 12
million by 2010.
The regional prevalence of the disease and high mortality rate
among certain groups has made the Chinese government realize the
seriousness of the issue.
(China Daily August 2, 2004)