Tianjing launches anti-AIDS campaign on 1st. Dec, 2005(Xinhua File photo)

    BEIJING, Jan. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of Chinese officially believed to be suffering from HIV/AIDS was re-estimated at 650,000,much lower than a 2003 estimate of 840,000, according to a joint assessment report on the country's AIDS situation released in Beijing on Wednesday.

    The assessment was made by the Chinese Ministry of Health, Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization, and was announced at a press conference on the 2005 Update on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Response in China.

    "The 2005 figure turned out to be lower than that of 2003, because the number of those who had contracted HIV/AIDS through illegal blood selling practices was actually overestimated in 2003," explained Wang Longde, vice-minister of health.

    According to Wang, China conducted a national survey on HIV/AIDS infections through blood selling in 2004, and found out that the actual number of the people who contracted the disease through this channel was much lower than the original estimate in 2003.

    According to the latest assessment, in China there are an estimated 75,000 people living with AIDS, an estimated 70,000 new HIV infections in 2005 and an estimated 25,000 AIDS deaths in 2005.

    Wang said although the 2005 estimate of people living with HIV/AIDS in China is lower than the 2003 figure, there is no room for relief or complacency.

    The latest national survey indicates that HIV/AIDS cases remain on the rise in China, and the epidemic is also spreading from high-risk groups to the general population. New HIV infections occur mainly due to drug injection and unprotected sexual contacts, said Wang.

    China has 75,000 AIDS patients

    China currently has about 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS including about 75,000 AIDS patients, according to a joint assessment report released in Beijing Wednesday.

    The assessment was released by the Ministry of Health, Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization at a news conference on 2005 Update on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Response in China. 

    25,000 Chinese die of AIDS in 2005

    In 2005, China had about 70,000 people newly infected with HIV/AIDS, and about 25,000 people died of the disease across the country, according to a joint assessment report released in Beijing on Wednesday.

    The assessment was released by the Ministry of Health, Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization at a press conference on 2005 Update on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Response in China.

    AIDS incidence still on rise in China

    The incidence of AIDS is still on the rise in China, according to a joint assessment report on the country's HIV/AIDS situation released in Beijing on Wednesday.

    The number of Chinese newly infected with HIV/AIDS was around 70,000 in 2005, according to the report, adding that most of them were infected through drug injection and unprotected sexual contacts.

    Meanwhile, the disease has been spreading to common people from the high-risk groups, the report said.

    The assessment was jointly released by the Ministry of Health, Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization at a press conference on the 2005 Update on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic and Response in China.