Northwest China's Gansu Province has required HIV carriers to inform their sexual partners of their health condition to curb the spread of the virus.

A regulation adopted by the provincial health department requires HIV carriers and AIDS patients to inform their sexual partners within a month after they get their HIV test results, said Wang Xiaoming, vice director of the department on Wednesday.

It also stipulates that HIV carriers and AIDS patients have a responsibility to persuade their sexual partners into receiving counselling and test.

Violation of the regulation would be seen as deliberate spread of AIDS and the violators would be punished according to law, Wang said.