UNITED NATIONS: China still has an opportunity to get the spread of HIV under control if urgent, vigorous actions are taken by the government, even though the virus is continuing to spread in this world's most populous country, a Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) official said on Wednesday.

In an interview with Xinhua, Desmond Johns, director of UNAIDS New York Office, praised the Chinese Government for moving rapidly forward to address the ballooning HIV/AIDS problem.

"It's very fine to see the Chinese Government is now making treatment available to HIV-infected people," he said, while warning there is a strong likelihood that the epidemic could spread from "high risk" groups into the mainstream population.

The Chinese Government started this year to provide free medicine and treatment to HIV carriers and AIDS patients in its rural areas and to urban residents in financial difficulties.

Johns said there are many factors working in favour of the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in China, which include poverty, large mobile population, rapid economic changes, and a lack of basic services like housing, health care and education.

Johns said that when the prevalence rate reaches 1 per cent of the total population in a country, it is regarded as being a generalized epidemic, meaning it has spread beyond the so-called high risk groups.

"The opportunity is there for China to take the lessons that have been learned in Latin America, in Western Europe and in Africa, and apply them with appropriate social and cultural adjustment to the Chinese scenario," he added.

Johns noted that China and many parts of Asia have the benefit of having "very early epidemics" and China also has the benefit of having "a very, very efficient public service system and a society within which it's possible to roll out and implement policies very rapidly."

Close

Today's Top News		Top National News
+Taiwan OKs watered-down referendum bill ( 2003-11-27) +US duties on Chinese imports criticized ( 2003-11-27) +Beijing in the dark about US case on spy ( 2003-11-28) +Chinese sue Japan, firm over slave labour ( 2003-11-28) +Trial opens for nation's biggest `ice' case ( 2003-11-27)		+Way out of HIV seen for China ( 2003-11-28) +Gov't-approved condom ads aired for first time ( 2003-11-28) +Beijing in the dark about US case on spy ( 2003-11-28) +Chinese sue Japan, firm over slave labour ( 2003-11-28) +Gov't-approved condom ads aired for first time ( 2003-11-28)