Fight against AIDS

Much needs to be done to check the spread of HIV/AIDS despite the efforts that have been made to prevent the spread of the disease and prolong the life expectancy of AIDS patients. This is the message we get on the 22nd World AIDS Day that falls today.

Latest statistics from the Ministry of Health show that more than 50,000 Chinese were infected with HIV last year alone. That means 140 people became new HIV carriers each day in 2008. The total number of reported HIV patients and people living with HIV was more than nearly 320,000 by the end of October.

The high death toll from AIDS, of more than 14,000 in slightly more than a year, suggests that the we are on the high point of the curve when most AIDS patients who were infected a decade ago or even earlier are dying now. This should not pour cold water on our efforts to prolong the life expectancy of those who were infected with the virus later. The new drugs we have developed have made it possible for such patients to live longer.