Reported HIV/AIDS Cases in China Increase 45% From 2006 to 2007, Health Ministry Report Says

The number of HIV/AIDS cases reported in China in 2007 was 45% higher than the number reported in 2006, according to a report released Friday by the country's Ministry of Health, Xinhua/Shanghai Daily reports. The government in November 2007 estimated that about 700,000 HIV-positive people were living in China in 2007, compared with an earlier estimate of 650,000. According to Xinhua/Daily, 223,501 HIV/AIDS cases had been officially reported at the end of 2007 (Xinhua/Shanghai Daily, 2/25).

The health ministry's report did not include exact figures or give the increase in reported cases (Reuters Health, 2/22). Gao Qi, a project manager with the China HIV/AIDS Information Network, said the report "doesn't mean the HIV/AIDS situation is getting worse," adding, "The increase might be due to more screening tests" (Juan, China Daily, 2/23).

The number of sexually transmitted infection cases increased by nearly 7% in 2007, while the number of bloodborne diseases increased by 3.55%, according to the report, Xinhuanet reports. The report noted that the number of hepatitis C cases increased by 30% and that syphilis cases increased by 24% in 2007. More than 4.7 million cases of infectious diseases were reported in China last year, an increase of nearly 3% from 2006, according to the report. There were 13,037 deaths due to infectious diseases in 2007, 2,311 more than in 2006 (Xinhuanet, 2/23).