BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have taken a variety of HIV/AIDS measures, as World AIDS Day is observed Friday. The number of people in China tested for HIV/AIDS every year has nearly quadrupled over the past decade, but it remains a challenge to reach the estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people who are unaware of their HIV-positive status, according to Wu Zunyou, Chief Epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). In Beijing, authorities have launched a hotline to provide consulting services for HIV/AIDS patients. Beijing Home of Red Ribbon, a non-governmental organization, launched the hotline on Wednesday to provide a series of services, including basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS, evaluation of unsafe sex, and psychological counseling. Zhao Hongxin, an HIV/AIDS expert with Beijing Ditan Hospital, took the first call on the hotline, answering questions about unsafe sex and antiretroviral drugs. "We must give HIV/AIDS patients enough care and support, mainly medical aid, to solve their problems," said Wang Kerong, Beijing Home of Red Ribbon office director. In Shanghai, the number of patients that contracted HIV from Jan 1 to Nov 20 stands at 2,106, a year-on-year increase of 7.5 percent, according to the municipal health and family planning commission. Male patients account for 91.1 percent, the commission said. The Shanghai government recently issued a plan to control and prevent the spread of the disease and create an environment with no discrimination. All district medical centers in Shanghai have set up areas for consulting about HIV/AIDS, as well as equipment for quick testing. In the northwestern province of Gansu, authorities have resorted to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for HIV/AIDS treatment. Liu Baolu, a doctor with the Tianshui TCM Hospital in the city of Tianshui in Gansu Province, is committed to treating HIV/AIDS patients with TCM. From 2010 to 2015, he was hired as a specialist at the provincial disease control and prevention center. "I treated more than 10 HIV positive patients with TCM, and their CD4+T cells have basically returned to normal levels," Liu said. Gansu is a major TCM area. In 2008, Tianshui was listed as a pilot area for TCM treatment of HIV/AIDS patients, by the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. "TCM treatment only costs around 2,000 yuan ($302) each year, and the side effects are limited," Liu said. China's proactive fight against the AIDS epidemic has yielded results. Blood transmission of the virus, once rampant through illegal blood sales or sharing of needles among drug users, has been halted, with mother-to-child transmission almost eliminated. China has about 718,270 people living with HIV/AIDS, according to official data. As of the end of June, 221,628 people had died of AIDS-related diseases in China. next day wristbandsdesign rubber braceletscheap rubber wristbandsfidget spinner bracelet24 hour wristbandsmotivational wristbands for athletesdebossed wristband
A nurse checks villager Wang Funi at home in Jiaozuo, Henan province, with an all-in-one diagnostic device in March. LI JIANAN/XINHUA ZHENGZHOU - Suffering from coronary heart disease, 79-year-old Wang Funi was amazed to find out that she can have routine medical tests done at her rural home. In the past, it would take 50 minutes to travel by electric tricycle to visit the nearest county hospital, and her husband or children would have to take a break from work on the farm to accompany her. It's time-consuming. Now there's no need for the trip. All the basic tests can be done free at home, she said. With the help of a new portable all-in-one diagnostic device, Zhang Xiaozhan, a doctor in Erpuying village, Henan province, where Wang lives, conducted eight tests on her in about 20 minutes, ranging from measuring the electrical activity of her heart to checking her blood pressure. The device offers the biggest benefits for the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, reducing their need to travel long distances to hospitals and wait in long lines, Zhang said. At the start of this year, the city of Jiaozuo purchased around 600 all-in-one diagnostic devices and offered them to teams of local family doctors. Weighing just five kilograms, one of the devices can run multiple routine tests, from measuring blood pressure to urine and blood analysis. Li Zhenhui, sales manager at mobile healthcare company Garea, which provided the devices, said that the machines can do more tests if auxiliary medical equipment is connected. The company usually sends experts to train village doctors. Test results are stored as electronic files on the city's family doctor service platform as a reference for further diagnosis and treatment. Wang's team of doctors has six members. Liu Yingying, a general practitioner at the health center in Jiayingguan township, is one of them. Liu said the team has signed contracts with more than 4,000 local residents, including a priority group of more than 500 patients. Some have chronic diseases, while others are rehabilitating and need special attention, Liu said. The team needs to visit each patient in the priority group at least four times a year. It's a formidable task. The all-in-one diagnostic device can improve the quality and efficiency of our service, Liu said. Tian Qingfeng, a health management researcher at Zhengzhou University, said there is an uneven distribution of healthcare resources in China, with advanced diagnostic and treatment equipment, and the best doctors, concentrated in big cities. Technology can improve rural access to quality healthcare, Tian said. Xinhua
