During a national teleconference on Monday, Vice Premier Wu
Yi?issued five new measures aimed at curbing the spread of
AIDS
in China.
The first measure is to train all cadres above county level
position, at least once a year or once in two years, to conduct
AIDS prevention work.
Second, Wu said improving public awareness not only informs
people of protective measures and AIDS legislation, but also
encourages non-discrimination towards people with AIDS.
The remaining three measures are: Enhancing the supervision and
testing of AIDS by establishing a surveillance network covering
certain groups of people; further studying AIDS treatments and
encouraging the use of condoms; and providing more support to
people with AIDS or people who have lost family and/or friends to
the disease.
"Clarifying the tasks helps implementation," Wu said, who warned
that AIDS prevention work in China remains very challenging.
By the end of June 2005, China had officially reported 126,808
HIV carriers, including 28,789 with full-blown AIDS, according to
statistics released by China's Ministry of Health.
But the actual number might be higher, medical experts said.
They estimated that there were approximately 840,000 HIV-positive,
including 80,000 with AIDS, mainly in the rural areas.
A working committee was established under the State Council,
China's cabinet, on February 26, 2004 to coordinate AIDS prevention
and control work across the country. Wu was appointed head of the
committee.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)