China Group Launches Campaign That Aims To Raise HIV Awareness Among College Students
The nongovernmental organization All-China Women's Federation on Thursday in Beijing launched a nationwide campaign that aims to increase HIV/AIDS awareness among college students, China Daily reports. The one-year campaign, administered by the group's China Woman/Child Care Committee, aims to reach about one million students at 50 colleges and universities in the country.
Liu Xiaoping, director of the committee, said the program will distribute brochures with general information about HIV/AIDS, run lectures on HIV prevention and organize care activities for people living with the disease. Mao Yu, director of the infectious disease unit at Beijing Ditan Hospital, said the "project is very meaningful and timely," adding that college students usually are sexually active and at an increased risk of HIV.
According to official statistics, of the estimated 700,000 HIV-positive people living in the country, 70% are between ages 20 and 39. In addition, sexual intercourse has become the primary route of HIV transmission in China, China Daily reports (Juan, China Daily, 3/14).