Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International - Thursday, 23 August 2001
According to official estimates, 600,000 Chinese are HIV positive, a 67 percent increase over last year's figures.
Vice Minister of Health Yin Dakiu said Thursday that the rate of HIV infection continued to rise. He announced a new 10-year action plan to combat the disease.
"Like many other countries in this world, China is also faced with a very serious epidemic of HIV/AIDS," he was quoted as saying by the radio station. "We have not effectively stemmed the epidemic of AIDS through drug using.
"And we should further strengthen the management of blood."
According to the British Broadcasting Corp., Yin said that in the worst-affected village, almost 20 percent of residents were HIV-infected. Of those who had sold blood, almost 43 percent were infected.
Surveys in other local villages showed similar rates, he said.
China had recently announced it would spend more than $100 million to improve the screening of blood used in transfusions.
Beijing says intravenous-drug use is still the main source of HIV infection, the BBC said. Yin said more than one-third of Chinese drug users still shared needles.
He said only 9 percent of Chinese prostitutes insisted on condoms. HIV infection among prostitutes rose to 1.3 percent, Yin said.
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