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HIV/AIDS prevention in China: A challenge for the new millennium

Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine volume 10, pages 125–129 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

China’s first HIV infection was officially reported in 1985 and by the end of 1996, there may have been up to 200,000 people affected nationwide. In 2001, this figure probably exceeded 600,000. By 2003, the predicted number of HIV cases had reached 1.5 million. At least 80,000 individuals now have fullblown AIDS. China may soon have the largest HIV-infected population in the world, possibly 6 million cases by 2005. With infection rates rising at about 30% per year, it is feared this figure might exceed 10 million by 2010. Although the Chinese government was initially slow to accept the problem, in the late 1990s definite changes began occurring. In 2003 Premier Wen Jiabao publicly shook the hand of an AIDS patient and his government promised to introduce a range of free HIV-related services. Large preventive education campaigns are now underway. Unfortunately, there will still be many obstacles in controlling the epidemic and preventing further spread of this disease. Without doubt, China faces a serious predicament in the new millennium, and one which will pose numerous challenges for preventive medicine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hazard Assessment, National Institute of Industrial Health, 214-8585, Kawasaki, Japan

    Derek R. Smith & Rui-Sheng Wang

  2. School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

    Derek R. Smith & Peter A. Leggat

  3. EU-China Volunteer Counselling and Testing (VCT) Project, Beijing, China

    Ning Wei

  4. Third Teaching Hospital, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China

    Ning Wei

Authors
  1. Derek R. Smith
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  2. Ning Wei
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  3. Peter A. Leggat
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  4. Rui-Sheng Wang
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Correspondence to Derek R. Smith.

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Smith, D.R., Wei, N., Leggat, P.A. et al. HIV/AIDS prevention in China: A challenge for the new millennium. Environ Health Prev Med 10, 125–129 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02900804

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02900804

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Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine

ISSN: 1347-4715

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