GENEVA, May 11 (Xinhuanet) -- As part of a global initiative of HIV/AIDS treatment, China aims to provide treatment to 100,000 patients by the end of 2005, according to a report published Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    China has embraced the "3 by 5" initiative, launched on Dec. 1,2003 by WHO, which aims to make the effective antiretroviral therapy available to 3 million people worldwide by the end of 2005.

    With more than 800,000 people in China estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, injecting drug use has been the predominant mode oftransmission, while heterosexual transmission related to sex work is on the increase, said the WHO report.

    The report regards tackling HIV/AIDS as the world's most urgentpublic health challenge, saying the disease is now the leading cause of death for young adults worldwide though it was unknown barely a quarter of a century ago.

    In 2003, 3 million people died of AIDS and 5 million others became infected with HIV.

    HIV/AIDS has killed more than 20 million people, while an estimated 34 million to 46 million others are living with the disease.

    Globally, unprotected sexual intercourse between men and women is the predominant mode of HIV transmission, according to the report. Enditem