China for the first time put an independent clause on AIDS prevention in contagious disease prevention and control law, as the country's AIDS prevention and control work is at a crucial stage.

The clause, which says "Governments at all levels must strengthen AIDS prevention and control work in a bid to curb further spread of the disease. Detailed measures could be stipulated by the State Council," has been added to the amendment draft of the contagious disease prevention and control law, which has been submitted to the on-going 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) for its third deliberation.

Hu Guangbao, deputy director of NPC's Legal Committee, said the law's amendment draft is expected to be passed at this meeting, as law makers' opinions have been reflected in the draft during the last two deliberations.

The amendment draft of contagious disease prevention and control law has been discussed twice in April and June by members of the Standing Committee of the NPC.

During the first two deliberations, some lawmakers advised that the law should entrust the State Council to stipulate regulations on AIDS prevention and control, as the country has entered a crucial stage in which the epidemic may spread from high-risk groups to others.

Some lawmakers suggested that clause on eliminating discrimination against people with AIDS should be written into the law, because social bias against them has become serious.

Some suggested that clauses stating that blood collection organizations must guarantee quality of blood products and stipulating punishment for illegal blood collection and selling should be put into the law's amendment draft.

All the suggestions have been absorbed in the law's amendment draft which was submitted for third deliberation, Hu said.

China reported its first AIDS case in 1985. By the end of 2003, China had had 840,000 AIDS patients and the epidemic had spread to the country's all 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

The newest statistics show that 11 percent of Chinese AIDS patients were infected by blood transfusion.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2004)