Drug use drives HIV infections to 135,630
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-11-29 08:54

China had an cumulative 135,630 cases of reported HIV infections by the end of September, Vice Health Minister Wang Longde said yesterday.

An AIDS billboard in Beijing. China plans to set up a national database containing the records of its HIV/AIDS victims in a bid to get a better grip of the extent of the epidemic. [AFP/file]

Wang said the statistics "indicate that the disease is spreading from high-risk groups to ordinary people, and that China is in a critical period for AIDS prevention."

The reported HIV cases involve 31,143 AIDS patients and 7,773 fatalities. Experts estimate the officially recorded cases only account for some 12.7 percent of the actual infection number, which means that China now has about 840,000 HIV carriers including some 80,000 AIDS patients.

The five provinces and autonomous regions of Yunnan, Henan, Xinjiang, Guangxi and Guangdong reported more than 10,000 cases each, accounting for 77 percent of the country's total, Wang told a national tele-conference on HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

Drug abuse is still the main cause of HIV infection, blamed for 40.8 percent of the total infections, while illegal blood selling caused 23 percent and unprotected sex caused 9.0 percent. Infections through unknown channels account for 23.4 percent.