Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Monday November 23, 1998
Christiaan Virant

"This great country is at a crossroads for today's global health agenda," she said.

"There are still important diseases that need to be fought with new vigor in China, such as tuberculosis (TB), which is now also closely linked to the HIV pandemic."

TB is the most deadly infectious disease in China, killing 288,000 people each year, according to WHO tallies.

Brundtland lauded a joint WHO-Chinese government initiative to improve treatment.

"Since the project's start, over one million infectious TB cases have been cured and care is now provided to approximately 300,000 cases per year," Brundtland said.

The former Norweigan prime minister also pledged continued strong attention to the spread of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) in China.

China had 11,170 confirmed HIV cases at the end of September. Of those infected, 338 had developed full-blown AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and 184 had already died, according to official tallies.

But health officials warn the actual number of HIV patients could be as high as 300,000, since only high-risk groups such as drug addicts, prostitutes and blood donors have been tested.

She also pressed the Chinese government to further restrict the use of tobacco, one of the main themes of her visit.

"Tobacco is a killer," she said, adding that cigarettes should not be "advertised, subsidized or glamorized."

In a speech to students at prestigious Qinghua University Saturday, Brundtland described smoking as a "primary public health problem" and called for higher tobacco taxes, strict enforcement of the ban on tobacco advertising and a crackdown on cigarette smuggling.

According to the WHO, tobacco use causes 12 percent of all deaths in China, and 33 percent of male adults could die from smoking by the year 2020. Brundtland arrived in Beijing Saturday for a week-long visit that includes stops in Shanghai and central Hubei province, which was hit by devastating floods this summer that killed more than 3,600 people nationwide.

During meetings with President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji over the weekend, she pledged increased cooperation between the WHO and China, and praised Beijing's efforts to strengthen the country's health care system. In Shanghai, she is to attend a seminar to learn about traditional medicines, including a drug that has been used to virtually eradicate malaria in China. Since taking the helm of the WHO in July 1998, Brundtland has made tobacco and malaria priority global health issues.
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