HIV/AIDS hits 740,000 nationwide

The number of HIV positive people in China probably stands at around 740,000, up from the estimated 700,000 who had the virus in 2007, the country's health minister said yesterday.

Sex between men is now one of the main reasons for the spread of the disease, said Chen Zhu.

As of Oct 31, China had recorded 319,877 HIV infections, 102,323 of which had developed into AIDS. China has had 49,845 AIDS deaths since it detected its first HIV infection in 1985, Chen said during the 5th Conference of International Cooperation Programmes on HIV/AIDS in China.