Beijing has ordered all junior high schools to offer six
AIDS-prevention classes before the end of this year, city officials
said at an HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Meeting this
morning.
Senior high schools are required to give four classes on AIDS
prevention and universities should arrange one lecture every year,
Xinhua news agency reported.
By the end of October, the estimated number of HIV virus
carriers and AIDS patients in Beijing had hit 4,659, 53.71 percent
higher than a year ago, including 964 locals, 3,524 residents from
neighboring provinces and 171 foreigners.
The educational authority should complete AIDS prevention
training with all principals and teachers within this year. High
schools or vocational middle schools should send AIDS prevention
handbooks to each freshman at the beginning of each semester, the
report said.
The Beijing government stipulated that before the end of next
year, AIDS-related knowledge should be taught to 90 percent of the
urban population, 85 percent of the rural population, 90 percent of
school students, 70 percent of the floating population and 85
percent of construction workers.
Before the end of next year, all medical institution and clinics
should set up display windows for AIDS prevention and control. All
hotels and restaurants should prepare condoms in each room.
The report also mentioned AIDS prevention and control should be
extensively advertised on buses, trains, airports and other forms
of public transportation from next year.
HIV is mainly transmitted through contaminated needles among
drug users and couples having unprotected sex, according to the
annual update on the AIDS epidemic, which was released by the
Beijing Health Bureau. It emphasized that infections among
homosexual men was on rise, while more infected cases are being
reported in the general population.
(Shanghai Daily November 22, 2007)