Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 28 Oct 1995
The Health Ministry announced a long-term program to halt the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, including broad screening of blood and criminal prosecution of suppliers of tainted blood, the official Guangming Daily said.
The influential daily quoted health officials as estimating that China now had as many as 100,000 carriers of HIV that causes AIDS, a number often mentioned by specialists in private but never published.
The ministry's official count of HIV carriers stands at just 2,428, of whom 77 have full-blown AIDS. In the first half of 1995, it said, 654 new HIV cases were reported, 123 more than were reported in all of 1994.
Chinese and foreign specialists say those figures are almost meaningless and could be dangerously misleading, reflecting poor reporting and misdiagnosis rather than an accurate picture of the disease's spread in China.
The new policy indicates Beijing is taking an increasingly serious stance against AIDS, which it was dismissing only a few years ago as a "foreigners' disease."
As in many other countries, growing prostitution and drug use are blamed for much of the spread of AIDS in China.
A weeklong nationwide campaign to mark World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 will be China's biggest anti-AIDS drive, using leaflets, posters and videotapes to teach Chinese how to protect themselves.
Guangming Daily did not say whether the campaign would focus on what in the West are called "safe sex" practices to prevent AIDS, reflecting continuing sensitivity in China about the sexual dimension of the disease.
Some Chinese university students have reported that their institutions have quietly begun distributing condoms on campus, but the programs have not been publicized.
The State Education Commission has said it has launched sex and AIDS education programs for about 19 million sixth graders and nearly 60 million high school students.
The health ministry said it was adopting seven new policies to slow the spread of AIDS, including the establishment of a national committee to strengthen AIDS prevention and control, Guangming Daily reported.
Hospitals will be required to screen blood for the virus to assure the safety of China's blood supply and officials will be held responsible when tainted blood is found, it said.
"To protect the safety of the blood supply, there should be punishment for medical officials who spread the disease through the blood supply," it said.
"For serious cases, there should be criminal charges."
Plans are in the works to improve reporting, monitoring and handling of HIV and AIDS cases, especially in local clinics where knowledge of AIDS is limited and practices that can spread the disease remain widespread, it said.
Many clinics and hospitals are known to re-use medical supplies, including hypodermic needles, to cut costs.
AIDS is a syndrome, a combination of illnesses which develop after HIV weakens a person's defences against disease. There is no known cure or vaccine.
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