UNAIDS Chief Says China Vital to Global Battle Against AIDS

A top leader of the global battle against HIV/AIDS said China could save millions of lives by preventing an HIV epidemic in the world's most populous nation. But to do this, the country must recognize the potential for public health problems on an unprecedented scale, and take action to prevent them, said Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. With between 600,000 and 800,000 people estimated to be infected with HIV, and the increasing possibility of outbreaks among drug users, people having unsafe sex, and the general population, China is at a crossroads -- it can work now to avoid an epidemic or lose the last chance.

China's central government has published a five-year action plan meant to mobilize all parts of the society to join in HIV/AIDS prevention and control. "The plan is very good, and I expect it will be implemented," Piot said, adding that he also expected the top leadership at the central level and in every province to publicly express their commitment to the fight against AIDS. "In that way China can contribute enormously to the global battle against AIDS." Piot, who is in China for the national AIDS conference ending today, just finished a week-long visit to north China's Shanxi Province and Beijing, meeting with officials, AIDS researchers, HIV patients and volunteers taking care of AIDS patients.

"Compared with my last visit to China two years ago, a lot of things have been changed in terms of the (people's) response to the epidemic," he said. The UNAIDS chief stressed the significance of education, especially among officials, and the role of the media in spreading public awareness. "The media can save more lives than doctors," Piot said. "It's a privilege to be in this position because there are very few issues in the world today that are more important than fighting against AIDS," he said. "This is about the future of humankind."

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