South China's Guangdong Province reported 4,823 HIV carriers
in the first 10 months this year, up 8.4 percent on the same period
last year, according to the provincial health bureau.
The number of reported AIDS cases reached 596 in the 10-month period,
up 54.8 percent year-on-year, according to bureau figures. And 157
of the reported AIDS sufferers died, a rise of 196.2 percent on the
corresponding period last year.
Experts said that many people who contracted HIV before 1998 had
developed AIDS, and Guangdong was facing a tough challenge in
treating these cases.
As of Oct. 31, Guangdong had reported an accumulated 17,855 HIV
carriers, the fifth highest number in the country. The number of
reported AIDS cases reached 1,388, 512 of whom died. But experts
estimate that the real number of HIV carriers in the province may
be higher than 40,000.
The province has made sustained efforts to improve public
awareness of the killer disease.
As a result, 78.3 percent of the urban citizens and 75.1 percent
of rural residents know about AIDS, compared with 77.3 percent and
51.9 percent in 2004, according to a sample survey released in
August this year.
The survey revealed that 90.9 percent of drug users are aware of
AIDS, compared with 68.3 percent in 2004, and as high as 88.1
percent of sex workers are well-informed about the disease.
Guangdong has set up a HIV testing network covering the
province's 21 cities and 97 counties and districts. Guangdong also
has 83 clinics providing free AIDS consultations.
China has approximately 650,000 people living with HIV,
including 75,000 AIDS patients, according to official
estimates.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2006)