China will take measures to ensure that by the year 2010, the
number of people infected with HIV does not exceed 1.5 million,
Xinhua quoted a Chinese health official as saying on Saturday.
Dai Zhicheng, the head of the Chinese Association of STD/AIDS
Prevention, and also the National Experts' Committee on HIV/AIDS
under the Ministry of Health, made these remarks at an
international seminar on sexually transmitted disease in the
southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing.
Experts estimate that China now has 840,000 people infected with
HIV including 80,000 AIDS patients. Dai Zhicheng says that the
number of people living with HIV/AIDS in China could exceed 10
million by 2010, if strong measures are not taken to control the
spread of the disease.
The expert noted that the Chinese government attaches great
importance to the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, with dozens
of billions of yuan allocated over the last few years.
In order to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, China has begun a
campaign to promote the use of condoms and safe injection
practices, as well as providing care for AIDS patients. The
government has offered free check ups and medical treatments for
sufferers, as well as providing free schooling for their children,
Dai Zhicheng added.
It is reported that a test program which treats HIV/AIDS
carriers with traditional Chinese medicine has seen some
preliminary clinical achievements. According to the State
Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, since China
launched the program last August, eleven provinces and
municipalities have signed on.
In contrast to Western-style drugs that can have many side
effects and are very expensive, the cost of traditional Chinese
medicine for use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS is relatively low,
and there are fewer side effects reported.
The World Health Organization says that over one-third of the
people living in developing countries lack access to essential
medicines.
As China has fully integrated traditional medicine into its
health care system, the provision of safe and effective traditional
medicine therapies could become a critical means to increase access
to HIV/AIDS treatment.
The first international seminar on sexually transmitted disease
is co-sponsored by the Chinese Association of STD/AIDS Prevention
and the Chongqing Association of Science and Technology.
It has attracted over 300 participants from the US, Germany,
Australia and other parts of the country. The participants will
exchange ideas and information about the latest developments in the
area of sexually transmitted diseases and on new technologies and
treatments.
(CRI October 23, 2005)