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China, US launch AIDS prevetion program
(Xinhuanet)
Updated: 2005-08-14 10:30
China and the United States have jointly launched an HIV/AIDS prevention program to fight the deadly disease in central and southwest China's provinces.
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| A woman cycles past wall with anti-AIDS paintings in Zoucheng, east China's Shandong Province, July 28, 2005. [newsphoto/file] |
The international program in its initial phase will input a total of 7 million US dollars to help non-governmental organizations prevent AIDS in ten provinces and regions in China, local health officials said.
Yunnan Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southwest China, and Henan Province in central China and other provinces will benefit from this program, which is organized by the US Agency for International Development in cooperation with China's Ministry of Health.
The program will in the next five years offer 15 million US dollars and other assistance such as training and technical support to help improve the capability of AIDS control in the provinces, said Li Huojia, director of the Disease Control Section with the Guangxi Regional Health Department.
In Guangxi, the program will target Pingxiang city and Ningming county, located at the border of China and Vietnam, with the view of improving the personal hygiene of HIV carriers, AIDS patients and their family members and meanwhile providing supportive clinic services and advice.
Aside from the China-US program, China in July received a total of 98 million US dollars for the AIDS prevention program sponsored by the Global Fund, which were allocated to help control HIV/AIDS in seven western Chinese provinces, including Guangxi, Li said.
So far, more than 20 international programs for AIDS prevention have been carried out in China.
China has an estimated 840,000 people infected with the AIDS virus. The UN AIDS agency has warned that China could have as many as 10 million people infected by 2010 if it does not take urgent action.
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