According to a new survey, the number of people with HIV in Henan
Province is over 25,000.
Following unprecedented testing of people who may have sold
blood between 1992 and 1996, the province has pegged the number of
infected people at 25,036 while the number of people with AIDS is
11,815.
Some 280,476 people in the province sold blood during those
years and the survey has revealed a far greater epidemic in the
province than expected, raising estimates by about 20,000, Xinhua
News Agency reported.
An official from the Henan Provincial Health Bureau said, "HIV
has an incubation period, usually four to eight years. Now is the
time that most of the carriers might develop AIDS. This large scale
survey aimed to find them all."
The survey was backed by the Ministry of Health and other
provinces are expected to follow suit.
"We paid special attention to migrant workers from the province.
They were informed to go back home and get blood tests," the
official said.
Their transportation was covered by the local government and
those who could not go back were encouraged to send blood
samples.
Results showed that a little more than 8 percent of the people
who once sold their blood were infected.
In some areas of the province, the percentage was even
higher.
In Shenqiu County, one of the 13 hardest hit areas, the
percentage reached more than 20 percent in some villages.
There are still about 180 migrant workers from the county who
have not been tested.
"They will be tested when they come back to spend
Spring Festival at home," said Xin Tianyi from the county's
hospital. "We do not want to miss a single person."
Since the first case of AIDS was found in the province in 1995,
Henan has been at the center of the national HIV/AIDS
spotlight.
"Years of efforts in popularizing knowledge of AIDS have helped
people face the disease bravely. They now will not turn pale at the
mention of the disease and try all means to evade or conceal the
fact," Xin said.
(China Daily November 16, 2004)