Published by: THE WORLD UYGHUR NETWORK NEWS November 20, 1997

11/20/97, UPI

"The officials blamed the sharp increase of HIV cases on a jump in intravenous drug use in southwest Sichuan (``Sich-wan'') and northwest Xinjiang (``Shin-geang'') provinces."

BEIJING, Nov. 20 (UPI). The number of confirmed HIV cases in China has topped 8,000 and continues to grow, fueled by a rise in drug abuse and paid blood donations. Ministry of Health officials say China had 8,277 HIV carriers by the end of September, up 2,237 since January. Among the new carriers, 168 have already developed full-blown AIDS.

Speaking during a health conference in Beijing sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund, the officials blamed the sharp increase on a jump in intravenous drug use in southwest Sichuan (``Sich-wan'') and northwest Xinjiang (``Shin-geang'') provinces. A rise in the popularity of paid blood donations in central China is also fueling the increase.

China discovered its first HIV case in 1985. But the disease did not begin to spread until the early 1990s, when economic developments boosted incomes and led to a rise in drug use and prostitution. Health officials now estimate the actual infected population may top 200,000.

Earlier this year, the United Nations extended a $1.8 million grant to China to help the nation fight the spread of the disease over the next four years. The funds will also be used for training ministry workers and intervention activities among high-risk populations. HIV education campaigns are common in urban areas but have not reached millions of rural residents, where last year 32 percent of medical workers could not explain to patients how HIV was transmitted.