2009 official AIDS report

A February 2009 report by Chinese officials stated that HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death in 2008, compared with other infectious diseases and thought to be the first time this has happened.

The country's state media stated that HIV/Aids had killed nearly 7,000 people in the first nine months of 2008.

By contrast, the number of deaths caused by tuberculosis and rabies dropped into second and third place, respectively.

The numbers of HIV/AIDS-related deaths have been increasing dramatically in recent years, with China's Ministry of Health confirming that, until three years prior to this, less than 8,000 people had died from HIV/AIDS in the country.

By 2008, the total had increased fivefold.

Source: Agencies