A top Chinese specialist has recently disclosed the current situation of HIV/AIDS in the country. According to the specialist, there are over 1,800 HIV/AIDS cases in the country, most of which are foreigners, China Daily reported.
It's a significant increase--the figures released last year (1,500 cases) already covered the previous three years. The latest figure, on the other hand, only covered a shorter period of time.
Wu Zunyou, the head of the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control and Prevention, attributes the alarming number, taken between January and October, to the rise of international exchanges in the country.
Since the organization's establishment of its epidemic surveillance system in 2005, 9,000 foreigners have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Most of them lived in Fujian, Guangdong, and Yunnan Provinces, as well as Beijing. There are no records, however, if these same foreigners are currently in China.
Most of the foreign patients are aged between 20 and 45. The top cause for infection is heterosexual activities, followed by intravenous drug use.
Although there has been an increase of cases among foreigners, Wu made it clear that China's anti-AIDS efforts are only focused on Chinese citizens.
This means foreign patients will have to deal with everything themselves, including antiviral medication and follow-up monitoring network, said Zhao Yan, a treatment specialist at the national center.
There are exceptions in Yunnan Province, however, as nearly half of the infected population of foreigners live there. Most of these expatriates came from Vietnam and Myanmar.
According to the latest census conducted in 2010, there are over 600,000 foreigners living in mainland China.