The number of reported HIV carriers and people with full-blown
AIDS has risen to 41 in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region,
compared to 30 cases last year.
Three people in the remote region have died of AIDS, according
to Yuzhan Lhaco, deputy director of the institute for prevention
and control of AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) with
Tibet Autonomous Regional Center of Disease Control and
Prevention.
HIV/AIDS infections have been found in urban and rural areas and
more men than women have been infected, said Yuzhan
Two state-level outposts are monitoring the spread of HIV/AIDS
and the Tibet government has set up a HIV/AIDS prevention and
control center along with counseling and testing services.
"Testing is free of charge and HIV carriers are treated with
free medicines," said Yuzhan, who said the vast region and spare
population makes it difficult to monitor the spread of
HIV/AIDS.
Official statistics show that among the 650,000 Chinese living
with HIV/AIDS, 44.3 percent were infected through drug injection,
10.7 percent through blood transfusions and 43.6 percent through
unsafe sex.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2007)