Chinese city in Aids snare
CHINA- Dongguan, a city in China’s Guangdong province, is in the grip of an HIV/Aids epidemic.
City officials admitted that about 2,000 KTV waitresses have been infected with the virus. There is no cure for Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
The admission by the officials came after news spread that more than 2,700 KTV waitresses were infected, the Global Times reported.
The official website of the Dongguan health bureau published a statement to refute recent online speculation which said that in Houjie town alone, there were 1,600 Aids patients. Another online story said that 633 local waitresses were infected.
The speculation may have come from a recent trial in a Dongguan court, reported the Guangzhou Daily.
Media reports said on Jan 15 that the First People’s Court of Dongguan revealed a case in which a woman had unprotected sex despite knowing that she had Aids.
The health bureau said similar news of increasing number of cases were making the rounds in Dalian, Beijing, Fuzhou and other cities.
A senior official from the Dongguan Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that the number of infected people has been increasing every year.
“The number reported from January to October increased 16 per cent year-on-year. Dongguan is entering a high-incidence period of HIV/Aids,” the official was quoted as saying.
From 2004, Dongguan has set up free clinics for HIV/Aids enquiries. But from January to October last year, only 810 people used this service.
Source: Asia One
Published: 26 Jan 2014
