CHINA AMONG AIDS-RIDDEN ASIAN COUNT

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

[Note from David Arnott: It is interesting to contrast the scientific and 
open approach of  China's Ministry of Health towards HIV/AIDS  
with the epidemiologically illiterate policies of denial imposed by Burma. 
For example,  as expressed in this Xinhua article, China is working  with 
an estimate  (also cited by UNAIDS) of 400,000 HIV infections on the base 
of 15,088  confirmed carriers. Burma, on the other hand, with 25,000 confirmed 
cases,  rejects the  UNAIDS estimate of 440,000 (a figure that was
conservative 
when it was first  issued in 1997) and states that the country has no
epidemic. 

It is also worth  noting that the Chinese HIV/AIDS epidemic largely originates 
in Burma, a major vector of spread being  needles shared  by users of heroin 
trafficked from Burma.]
 

CHINA AMONG AIDS-RIDDEN ASIAN COUNTRIES 

Xinhua, Beijing, 2 December 1999. CHINA, WITH MORE THAN 400,000 
HIV CARRIERS, HAS BECOME ONE OF THE ASIAN COUNTRIES MOST 
SERIOUSLY PLAGUED BY THE AIDS DISEASE, ACCORDING TO THE 
MINISTRY OF HEALTH. 

CHINA RANKS THE FOURTH IN ASIA IN NUMBERS OF HIV-POSITIVE 
CASES, FOLLOWING INDIA, THAILAND AND MYANMAR, AND 17TH 
IN WORLD, VICE MINISTER OF HEALTH YIN DAKUI SAID AT A 
NATIONAL MEETING TO COINCIDE WITH WORLD AIDS DAY TODAY. 

CHINA HAD 15,088 CONFIRMED CARRIERS OF HIV BY THE END OF 
SEPTEMBER, BUT ESTIMATES THAT MORE THAN 400,000 PEOPLE 
HAVE BEEN INFECTED WITH THE VIRUS. 

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION AND JOINT UNITED NATIONS 
PROGRAM ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) HAVE REPEATEDLY WARNED 
THAT ASIA MIGHT REPLACE SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AS THE MOST 
AIDS-RIDDEN AREA IN THE WORLD. 

"CHINA IS IN A GRAVE SITUATION AND THE TASKS AHEAD ARE 
VERY HARD AND COMPLICATED, DUE TO AN ENORMOUS NUMBER 
OF DRUG USERS AND PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE SEX PARTNERS, PLUS 
OVER 100 MILLION TRANSIENT PEOPLE EACH YEAR, AND COMMERCIAL 
BLOOD-SELLERS, WHO ALL ARE VULNERABLE TO HIV/AIDS," YIN SAID. 

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES (STDS), WHICH ARE DESCRIBED 
AS " THE SHADOW FOLLOWING HIV/AIDS," HAVE BEEN RAPIDLY 
SPREADING ACROSS CHINA IN THE 1990S. 

THE REPORTED STD CASES AMOUNTED TO 570,000 IN THE JANUARY- 
SEPTEMBER PERIOD OF THIS YEAR, ALMOST EQUAL TO THE ANNUAL 
FIGURE OF LAST YEAR, THE MOH SAID, FEARING THAT THE REAL 
NUMBER MAY BE EIGHT TO TEN TIMES HIGHER. 

THE NATIONAL MEETING, WHICH WAS CO-SPONSORED BY THE 
MOH AND MINISTRIES IN CHARGE OF PUBLIC SECURITY, EDUCATION 
AND PUBLICITY, AIMED TO SUMMARIZE THE WORK OF HIV/AIDS 
AND STD CONTROL. 

THE WORK RELATED TO POLICY-MAKING, EDUCATION, AND 
INTERVENTION MEASURES TARGETING AT HIGH-RISK PEOPLE 
WILL BE DISCUSSED DURING THE TWO-DAY MEETING. 

MORE THAN 110 UNITS AND 480 INDIVIDUALS SPECIALIZING 
IN THE FIELD WERE AWARDED AT THE MEETING HERE TODAY 
FOR THEIR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS. 

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