In an effort to establish HIV prevalence in China the Ministry
of Health urged local governments on Wednesday to survey those who
had sold their blood in the 1990s. The research is to be completed
by April 15, 2005.
This came on the same day United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan highlighted China's role in combating HIV/AIDS, saying that
the world is counting on China to meet Millennium Development Goals
which include halting and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS by
2015.
Thousands of people, mostly farmers, in dozens of provinces
including Henan and Anhui sold blood before the introduction of
routine HIV screening in 1997 and the ensuing crackdowns on illegal
blood stations. Ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said that many became
infected and have since developed AIDS.
Twenty percent of China's estimated 840,000 people with HIV/AIDS
were infected after selling blood, said Ray Yip, director of the
Beijing office of the United States' Global AIDS Programme.
Some areas that experienced resultant epidemics have since moved
to determine the exact number of people who got the virus through
blood sales. In research conducted since July 26, Henan found
280,000 people who had sold blood. Of them, 25,000 tested positive
for HIV and about 20 per cent of these were undiagnosed before the
survey.
With many people dying without being diagnosed and only
fragmentary information on prevalence, prevention and treatment
efforts are made significantly harder.
The Ministry of Health has compiled guidance on data collection
and Mao said that the confidentiality of people's HIV status is a
top priority and that the government will cover treatment
costs.
(China.org.cn China Daily October 14, 2004)