China Sees 60 Percent Drop In HIV-related Deaths

A recent assessment of the Chinese Government scheme of free anti-retroviral drugs has revealed that the HIV death rates have significantly dropped by 60 percent in the country.

Although China was a responder to the disease, the study revealed a clear example of what it has achieved.

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The study was aimed to send a clear message to other countries that were slow with dealing with HIV-AIDS.

It also praised the impact of the Chinese Government's efforts to fight the disease and showed the difference that can be made with high-level political commitment.

However, despite reaching nearly 100,000 AIDS suffers, China still has an estimated 740,000 people infected with HIV-AIDS of which less than half have even been formally diagnosed with the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

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"Given the size of the country, and the geographical spread of individuals with HIV...China's treatment coverage is remarkable," The Telegraph quoted Prof Fujie Zhang from the National Centre for AIDS Control as saying.

"But it is far from the goal of complete coverage of people who meet the treatment criteria." Dr Connie Osborne, the HIV program officer of the WHO in China also said.

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Medindia met Dr. Suniti Solomon, Founder-Director of the YRG CARE Center for AIDS Research and Education, a premier HIV/AIDS care and support centre in Chennai.

She said that while a 60 per cent reduction in mortality was welcome, it still was not "good enough", since if AIDS sufferers were caught earlier, the figure could rise to 80 per cent or better.

"It is important to remember that the great majority of those people dying of HIV in China are still dying before they receive any antiretroviral drug treatment at all," she added.

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The study was published in The Lancet medical journal.

Source-ANI