China To Open Country’s First AIDS Prevention, Care Center
Officials from the AIDS prevention and control office in China's Yunnan province on Wednesday announced that they are establishing China's first domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment center, Xinhua News Agency reports. The center, which will be built near the province's capital city, will have 200 beds for AIDS patients and will serve as the country's first institute specializing in HIV/AIDS consultation, prevention, testing and treatment services. In addition, in an effort to take part in international AIDS efforts, the center will accept patients from other countries (Xinhua News Agency, 12/11). The Chinese government estimates that there are 840,000 HIV-positive people in the country and that 80,000 have AIDS; however, some experts believe that the figures are an underestimate (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/9). The United Nations estimates that there are at least one million HIV-positive people in China and that the number could grow to 20 million people by 2010 (AFP/Yahoo! News, 12/11).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.