The eight volunteers who were involved in the phase-one clinical test of a Chinese AIDS vaccine on March 12 are now in "sound physical condition," said an expert in Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Thursday.

Chen Jie, deputy director of the Guangxi autonomous region's Center for Disease Prevention and Control, released the information during an interview with journalists.

The eight volunteers were injected with either virus-containing AIDS vaccine or a control solution without the AIDS virus. Neither the volunteers nor the administering doctors knew who received which vaccine.

If the volunteers report abnormal physical condition, emergency treatment will likely be conducted to ensure their safety, said Chen.

In all, 49 volunteers aged from 18 to 50 will participate in the tests, the first of their kind in China. Phase one will last 14 months. Phase two will focus on tests on immune nature and safety of the vaccine.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) approved the first clinical phase of the new AIDS vaccine on Nov. 25, 2004.

There have been about 35 AIDS vaccine trials on humans across the world, most of which are still at the early stage.

With its first AIDS case reported in 1985, China now has an estimated 840,000 HIV carriers and AIDS patients, according to sources with the Chinese government.

(Xinhua New Agency April 1, 2005)