China is going to air a foreign documentary on HIV/AIDS to mark the World AIDS Day which falls
on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.
The documentary, called A Closer Walk, features
international AIDS experts, social activists and AIDS patients who
served in AIDS organizations.
It has been widely aired in the Africa, Europe, the United
States, Canada, India and Ukraine, said Vice Health Minister Wang
Longde at a preview at Beijing's Great Hall of the People on
Wednesday.
Mostly based on the original version, the documentary to be
broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV) has an additional 10
minutes focusing on China's prevention and control of AIDS. Chinese
officials are interviewed on "sensitive" topics regarding AIDS, and
it depicts the lives of orphans of AIDS victims and HIV-infected
people, said director Li Man.
?The government had taken many measures and made
achievements in AIDS control, said Kevin Wale, president of General
Motors China Group, which sponsored the making of the
documentary.
Wang Longde said China would continue improving laws and
regulations and increase input in AIDS control, while encouraging
social contributions.
The health ministry reported last week that the number of people
officially reported as HIV infected had risen 27.5 percent since
the beginning of the year, to more than 180,000. It also warned
that the epidemic was spreading from high-risk groups to the
general public.
Estimates by the ministry, the WHO and UNAIDS show China has
about 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, including 75,000 who
have developed AIDS.
The documentary, premiered in January 2003, has been viewed by
about 15 million people.
(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2006)