During a national teleconference on Monday, Vice Premier Wu Yi issued five new measures aimed at curbing the spread of AIDS in China.

The first measure is to train all cadres above county level position, at least once a year or once in two years, to conduct AIDS prevention work.

Second, Wu said improving public awareness not only informs people of protective measures and AIDS legislation, but also encourages non-discrimination towards people with AIDS.

The remaining three measures are: Enhancing the supervision and testing of AIDS by establishing a surveillance network covering certain groups of people; further studying AIDS treatments and encouraging the use of condoms; and providing more support to people with AIDS or people who have lost family and/or friends to the disease.

"Clarifying the tasks helps implementation," Wu said, who warned that AIDS prevention work in China remains very challenging.

By the end of June 2005, China had officially reported 126,808 HIV carriers, including 28,789 with full-blown AIDS, according to statistics released by China's Ministry of Health.

But the actual number might be higher, medical experts said. They estimated that there were approximately 840,000 HIV-positive, including 80,000 with AIDS, mainly in the rural areas.

A working committee was established under the State Council, China's cabinet, on February 26, 2004 to coordinate AIDS prevention and control work across the country. Wu was appointed head of the committee.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)