Today is World AIDS Day, a reminder that the threat of HIV is still with us. More still needs to be done to check the spread of the virus and prolong the life expectancy of AIDS patients.

Latest statistics from the Ministry of Health reveal that roughly 44,000 new HIV infections were reported in the country by the end of October this year and the total number of reported AIDS patients and people living with HIV was more than 370,000 by October.

The fact that AIDS-related deaths reached 68,000, with 26,000 in 2009, implies that the country has reached the high point of the curve when most AIDS patients who were infected a decade ago or even earlier are counting their last days. Yet, this by no means suggests that our efforts to prolong the life of those infected have been in vain. The drugs we have developed have improved the life quality of such patients and made it possible for them to live longer.

But bias and discrimination are still preventing effective monitoring and early intervention, which makes preventing the spread of the virus more difficult.

It is estimated that the total number of AIDS patients and those living with HIV is around 740,000 nationwide. Discrimination has made quite a number of AIDS patients and HIV carriers reluctant to report their cases and accept government-funded treatment and related services. This is particularly true of sex workers, drug users and those who have same gender sex.

When nearly 400,000 such HIV carriers remain in the dark, the chances are greater that more people will become infected. And sometimes, the virus might be transmitted unknowingly through transfusions of infected blood or other unexpected means.

It is good for the central government to have a new plan for the control of AIDS/HIV in the next five years. This includes more intensified public information campaigns about AIDS/HIV and prevention measures, fast HIV-infection detection methods at the grassroots level, pushing for compulsory rehabilitation of drug users at community level, strengthening the management of blood transfusions, and intensifying the care and treatment for AIDS patients. More research will also be carried out into new drugs.

However, there is a long way to go to fight people's traditional prejudice against homosexuals. Creating a society where homosexuals can be frank about their sexual orientation is important, not just to relieve the country of the anxiety that they may become a major source of infection, but as part of our efforts to build an inclusive society.

Elimination of discrimination is a key weapon in the fight against the spread of this disease.