First Lady Peng Liyuan has called for a more intensive fight against HIV/AIDS even if the virus and the disease affect only a relatively small percentage of China's population, China Daily reported.
Speaking with three foreign scientists on the sidelines of the 2014 National Conference on HIV/AIDS, the first lady said that the will to help sufferers must be promoted.
Peng, who is a World Health Organization (WHO) goodwill ambassador for HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, also said that efforts must be stepped up in caring for the infected, in fighting discrimination, in giving patients access to medical care and in ensuring social justice.
"I believe this academic exchange will help boost research on HIV/AIDS in China and the world at large," Peng told Prof. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Prof. Christian Brechot of Institut Pasteur and Prof. David Ho of the Rockefeller University.
As many as 810,000 Chinese citizens, or .06 percent of the population, were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2013, according to the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention. However, only 490,000 of those afflicted have been identified, while the rest are unaware of their condition.
The estimate of AIDS sufferers is updated every two years, and the previous count was at 780,000.
Peng asserted that more government efforts should be directed toward underdeveloped regions to ensure social justice for them, as well as their right to medical care, reported People Daily.
The first lady said that she will continue to simultaneously work in her capacity as an ambassador for the WHO and as a national HIV/AIDS prevention advocate in order to help with the global fight against the virus and the disease.