A governmental survey that covered 100 percent people who once engaged in blood selling in central China's Henan showed that there are altogether 25,036 HIV carriers in the province, including 11,815 AIDS patients.

The statistics were announced by Ma Jianzhong, head of the Health Department of Henan at a press conference Saturday. He said that the survey by Henan government, concluded in late August, was extended to 51,187 administrative villages and residents' committees throughout the province, in which 21,703 HIV cases were found out. Counting existing statistics, the total number of HIV infected people is 2,5036, of which 24,339, or 97.22 percent, are rural residents. Of the 11,815 AIDS patients, 11,622, or 98.27 percent, are rural residents.

The HIV breakout in Henan, as surveys proved, is mainly caused by the setting of unauthorized blood collection stations in the province by some organizations and blood-product companies during the mid 1990s. Illegal blood collection and rule-violating operations resulted in different degrees of HIV infection among local blood suppliers.

Precise statistics not only reflected actual epidemic situation, but provided comprehensive and detailed data for following prevention and control work.

By People's Daily Online