Free AIDS tests pledged in China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-04-15 09:19
China offers treatment solace for sufferers
China will start providing free AIDS tests for the general public as well as free treatment for infected people who can't afford it, the government said amid stepped-up efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
China says 840,000 of its people are HIV-positive and 80,000 have full-blown AIDS. But the United Nations AIDS agency says the number of infected people in China could rise to 10 million by 2020 without more aggressive prevention efforts.
State television reported the plan for free AIDS testing on its midday national newscast. Plans for free medication and treatment were announced on the Health Ministry's Website.
The announcements didn't say how many people were expected to use the services or how much they would cost.
The ministry's announcement included a list of medications that would be provided free, but didn't give details of the income level required to qualify for them. In Beijing, government clinics offering AIDS tests has been increased from four to 22, the Beijing Daily reported.
The AIDS virus is believed to spread in China mostly through prostitution and intravenous drug use, but health officials worry that the disease could spread to the general population.
Until recently, AIDS tests were available only in centers that treated sex workers and drug addicts, but health officials now encourage them for pregnant women and some other people.
Early detection and intervention is a more effective and efficient way to prevent and control AIDS, said Ray Yip, expert with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Speaking at the press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Yip announced that the CDC would launch a Global AIDS Program in China, cooperating with the Chinese government.
As the director of CDC-GAP China Office, Yip said GAP was launched to help countries with limited resources control the spread of the HIV virus, create a better treatment and care environment for AIDS sufferers and improve detection and intervention of possible infectious cases.
China had opened the GAP program in 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.
www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-04/15/content_323503.htm
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The CRADA between Calypte and the CDC provides for the development of a test to estimate the incident HIV infections (of less than 6 months duration) in a population survey.
The purpose of the test is to provide a simplified and rapid format that can be performed in resource poor settings and remote outreach locations as a public health surveillance tool. The test should be particularly suitable for settings with limitations in blood collection capacity, laboratory facilities, or specimen transport.
The test will be designed to provide invaluable information to Public Health agencies concerning the course of the HIV pandemic, such as identifying populations where new infections are occurring most frequently, allowing agencies to measure the effectiveness of prevention efforts in specific risk groups, and identifying high-incidence cohorts for prevention trials (e.g. microbicide, vaccine etc).
Dr. Richard George, President and CEO of Calypte commented that "A simplified and rapid format for serologic assays to estimate HIV incidence is a logical progression and refinement of the currently used, laboratory based EIA. The ability to perform tests for recent infection for public health surveillance purposes in all types of environments will dramatically expand the use and reduce the cost of incidence testing used to monitor the effectiveness of HIV prevention programs."
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