China Looking to Foreign Countries to Help Control Spread of HIV/AIDS
Chinese Health Minister Zhang Wenkang on Monday announced that China is looking to form partnerships with foreign countries to help curb its HIV/AIDS epidemic, Agence France-Presse reports. Zhang said that China would like to work with other countries to recruit health care workers and epidemiologists to "prevent and control" HIV/AIDS in the country. He noted that epidemiologists are particularly important to the country's HIV/AIDS strategy (Agence France-Presse, 11/4). "China is at a critical time in HIV/AIDS control since the disease is spreading very rapidly from those with high-risk behaviors to the common people," Zhang told participants of the Sino-U.S. Conference on Research and Training in AIDS-Related Areas (Xinhua News Agency, 11/5). "We now have no time to lose," he added. Agence France-Presse reports that Zhang's statements mark a break from the government's "usual reluctance to seek help from abroad" and are another sign that China is acknowledging the scope of its HIV/AIDS epidemic (Agence France-Presse, 11/4). The United States in June agreed to give China $14.8 million over five years to help fight AIDS. The United Nations estimates that China has between 800,000 and 1.5 million HIV-positive people (Reuters, 11/4).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.