第四篇 Passage 4

With World AIDS Day------December 1 just around the corner, China held its first national AIDS conference. The meeting brought together more than 2700 experts—medical, social, legal and educational------from 20 nations. The United Nations' top AIDS official described it as "historic". At the meeting, the Chinese Government vowed to do more to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and to educate the public about how to protect themselves against the deadly disease.

The conference's very existence helped the government send the signal that it is becoming more open about a problem that local officials have tried to hide.

Increase of AIDS victims

The government says the number of infections jumped 67 percent in the first six months of 2001 compared to the first half of last year. By September, 28,133 people in China were confirmed to have contracted the HIV virus, among whom 1,208 were AIDS patients and 641had died. But officials estimate that the actual number of people infected with HIV is much higher. Intravenous drug injection is the leading reason for the spread of AIDS in China, and is responsible for two thirds of HIV patients. The disease is also spreading widely among illegal blood donors.

Officials from UNAIDS said China still has time to act if it wants to avert the widespread epidemic before the end of the decade. Participants in China's first AIDS conference called for the education of those who work in sexual health areas, the installation of condom-dispensing machines and more open discussions in schools, saying such measures will reduce infection rates in the world's most populous nation.

Medicine

Despite the growing number of AIDS sufferers, China has not developed any effective medicine itself. Foreign AIDS drugs can cost thousands of dollars a year, well beyond the means of most Chinese. Cao Yunzhen, deputy director of the National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health, suggested the government should promote the adoption of the cocktail treatment across the country. This treatment is in widespread use all over the world, and it has proven effective at controlling the HIV virus. But it's too expensive for most Chinese families, at about 8000 yuan per month per patient. "Efforts should be made to enable Chinese companies to manufacture their own AIDS drugs so that the price can be lowered," Cao said, adding that the government is negotiating with foreign manufacturers on lowering the price of AIDS drugs.

China has, so far, established six centers engaged in the treatment of AIDS, which are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou and Urumqi.

Public awareness vital

A leading American AIDS researcher cautioned that public awareness; accurate statistics and participation of the non-governmental sector are critical for HIV/AIDS prevention and control in China. “China is at the beginning of its AIDS epidemic, and the problems the United States faced at the beginning are worth thinking about,” said Phil Nieburg, associate director of Public Health Practice. “Two decades ago, public awareness about AIDS and HIV was limited and people were becoming infected without even knowing that AIDS existed in the United States. It has become very clear during the past 20 years in the United States that HIV is not just the disease process; it is a social issue. We have learned that trying to take only a medical approach to HIV/AIDS is not likely to be successful.” He also encouraged the non-governmental sector to play a positive role in HIV/AIDS control.