Society

7,743 die of AIDS on the mainland in 2010

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-02-17 07:05

Beijing - AIDS claimed 7,743 lives on the mainland in 2010, making it the country's top killer among all infectious diseases that year, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday.

The high number of fatalities made 2010 the third year in a row that AIDS ranked as the most deadly infection on the mainland, said Hao Yao, the deputy director of the ministry's disease prevention and control bureau.

"Deaths from AIDS have peaked in recent years but that doesn't mean that treatment and control measures aren't working well," he said.

He said many people became infected with HIV in the late 1990s. As they come to develop full-blown AIDS, the number of deaths from the disease is certain to surge, he explained. Also, many AIDS deaths in previous years were not detected or counted then because of limited resources. They are now included in annual figures, inflating the numbers.

The government will offer more HIV screening services nationwide in coming years, and local governments in areas where HIV/AIDS infections are prevalent should make the prevention and treatment of the disease a priority. Government leaders must bear much of the responsibility, according to a circular issued by the State Council on Wednesday.

About 740,000 Chinese people live with HIV or AIDS. China will have about 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2015, Hao said.

Shan Juan

(China Daily 02/17/2011 page4)