Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
New Vision (Kampala) - October 19, 2005
Health departments in China had reported a cumulative total of 126,808 HIV infections, including 28,789 AIDS cases, by the end of June, the ministry said.
The report gave no reason for the sharp rise from the last reported total of 89,067 HIV cases by the end of September 2004. Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organisation representative in China, said the increase in reported cases appeared to be a "reflection that the government has been testing," WHO spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi told dpa.
She said recent random surveys seemed to "show little increase" in the number of HIV infections.
The health ministry launched a campaign last year to find and test former blood donors in poor, rural areas of central China. Some 20,000 more cases were reported in the central province of Henan alone by November last year, according to state media reports.
Unsafe blood collection and usage has been one of the key reasons for the spread of HIV/AIDS in China. Other reasons include intravenous drug use, especially in Yunnan, and increasing sexual transmission.
Henan is one of the worst affected areas, with health officials previously estimating that up to 100,000 people may have been infected through selling their blood since the mid-1980s. Other estimates put the number of infected at 500,000 to 700,000. United Nations' health experts have warned that HIV could infect 10 million Chinese by 2010 if the government fails to expand its education, prevention and anti-discrimination campaigns.
051019
NV051013
Copyright © 2005 - The New Vision. All articles are republished on AEGIS by permission. Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from Managing Director/Editor-in-chief, The New Vision, P.O. Box 9815, Kampala - Uganda, Tel/fax: 256-41-235221, E-mail: wpike@newvision.co.ug.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2005. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2005. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .