China to unveil 5-year AIDS control plan
(Reuters/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-11-30 13:31

China's state-grade AIDS monitoring sites rose to 247 in late 2004, a sharp comparison with 194 at the end of 2003. China has so far organized 2,686 working teams specially designed for AIDS prevention among high-risk people.

A health worker places a red ribbon on a girl during a photo show to promote HIV/AIDS awareness in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou province in this November 5, 2005 photo. [Newsphoto]

The government will allocate 800 million yuan (US$100 million) to support AIDS prevention and treatment in 2005, said Gao Qiang.

In comparison, the figure in 2002 was 100 million yuan (US$12.5 million).

The money is mainly used for AIDS check, AIDS knowledge promotion, treatment of AIDS patients, and prevention among high-risk people, said Gao.

In its fresh efforts for nationwide promotion of AIDS knowledge, China will officially launch an education program on December 1 among millions of migrant workers, World AIDS Day.

The program is supposed to spread anti-AIDS knowledge among the migrant workers, who have formed a huge fortune-seeking force flowing between rural and urban areas.

Before this, 12 Chinese central departments carried out joint actions to publicize AIDS knowledge among farmers and students, in which 740,000 villages, 50,000 neighborhood committees, 2,100 colleges 90,000 middle schools were involved, Gao said.

Required by the State Council, China's highest governing body, government leaders at different levels should be directly in charge of AIDS prevention, he said.

"Those who try to cover up the epidemic or conduct dereliction of duties will be held liable," he said.