NEWS: Aids Vaccine Trials Introduced by China, page 1

A 20 year old man has been the first to begin a human trial for an AIDS vaccine in China. Seven others have also started the trial including 4 women in a country that is believed to have over 840000 people infected with the virus. China has been criticized for the slow recognition within the country of the AIDS issue which has been exacerbated by cover ups of blood selling schemes that has infected many citizens.

www.abc.net.au
China starts AIDS vaccine trials

The Government estimates that China, with a 1.3 billion population, has 840,000 people with HIV.

Activists and experts say a more accurate figure would be between 1 million and 1.5 million.

The United Nations (UN) has said that the number of HIV/AIDS victims in China could rise to 10 million by 2010 unless serious steps are taken to fight the disease.

On World AIDS Day in 2003, Premier Wen Jiabao shook hands with AIDS patients at a Beijing hospital in a symbolic display of commitment to fighting the disease.

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Nearly 50 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 50 years old will receive the tests in three phases over a period of 14 months. Politics and conservative attitudes are believed to be stopping the effort of AIDS prevention.

It will be interesting to see if the Chinese manage to succeed where others have failed. It is about time the government recognized the problem which will be a snowballing problem for the population unless strict measures are undertaken to educate and prevent the spread of the illness.

Related News Links:
www.chinadaily.com.cn

[edit on 13-3-2005 by Mayet]

[edit on 13-3-2005 by Mayet]

[edit on 13-3-2005 by Mayet]