China's State Council has set up a delegation on Wednesday to
tour the country to promote AIDS awareness among local government
officials.
Ninety percent of local officials above county level will listen
to speeches from the delegation from July to the end of 2007, said
Wang Longde, head of the working committee of AIDS prevention and
control under the State Council.
The epidemic situation of HIV/AIDS has been deteriorating in
recent years and has had a negative impact on the economy in the
worst-affected areas. Meanwhile, it is spreading from high-risk
groups to the general public, said Wang at the first meeting of the
delegation.
However, some local cadres are still blind to the harm of the
epidemic and are not prepared for a long-term struggle, he told the
meeting which was attended by more than 100,000 local officials via
a tele-conference network.
Local officials ought to know about the policies and guidelines
of the central government in AIDS control as well, he added.
China currently has about 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS,
including 75,000 AIDS patients, according to official
estimates.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)
