264,302 Chinese HIV positive

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-01-2008 13:34

Over a quarter million Chinese are confirmed to be living with HIV. That number is contained in a report released by the Ministry of Health and UNAIDS.

Over a quarter million Chinese are confirmed to be living  with HIV.

However, previous estimates suggest some 700,000 people are infected with HIV in China. Finding those unreported 400,000 virus carriers poses a tough task.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that over 40 percent of those who contracted the virus this year were infected via sex between men and women. Another 5.1 percent, a sharp increase from 0.4 percent in 2005, contracted the virus during homosexual encounters.

To curb the spread of HIV, the Chinese government will step up education among prostitutes and gay men. It will also offer AIDS patients free services, such as counseling, testing, anti-viral medicine and provide education for orphans of AIDS patients. Traditional Chinese medicines will be used more extensively in treating the disease.

Editor:Zhang Ning