Six major goals set to combat HIV/AIDS

Premier Li Keqiang calls for efforts to prevent and treat infectious diseases

China will take comprehensive measures to control HIV transmissions in a bid to keep HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country at a low level, the National Health Commission said on Nov 30, the day before World AIDS Day.

The commission listed six major goals expected to be achieved in the next three years, including raising awareness of HIV prevention and control and educating people on avoiding or reducing unsafe sexual behavior.

The goals also include detecting and treating as many cases of HIV infection as possible and eliminating mother-to-child transmission.

The commission also wants more condoms to be available in public places such as hotels, and increased efforts made to crack down on crimes that may lead to HIV transmission.

There were 230 million HIV tests conducted in China in the first 10 months of this year and 131,000 new cases reported, the commission said.

Sexual transmission was the main route of infection, with heterosexual sex accounting for 73.7 percent of new infections and sex between gay men accounting for 23 percent, it said.

The country had 958,000 people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of October, it added.

There were 240 million HIV tests conducted in China last year, which revealed 149,000 new cases, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.