GUANGZHOU, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong Province reported 4,823 HIV carriers in the first 10 months this year, up 8.4 percent on the same period last year, according to the provincial health bureau.

    The number of reported AIDS cases reached 596 in the 10-month period, up 54.8 percent year-on-year, according to bureau figures. And 157 of the reported AIDS sufferers died, a rise of 196.2 percent on the corresponding period last year.

    Experts said that many people who contracted HIV before 1998 had developed AIDS, and Guangdong was facing a tough challenge in treating these cases.

    As of Oct. 31, Guangdong had reported an accumulated 17,855 HIV carriers, the fifth highest number in the country. The number of reported AIDS cases reached 1,388, 512 of whom died. But experts estimate that the real number of HIV carriers in the province may be higher than 40,000.

    The province has made sustained efforts to improve public awareness of the killer disease.

    As a result, 78.3 percent of the urban citizens and 75.1 percent of rural residents know about AIDS, compared with 77.3 percent and 51.9 percent in 2004, according to a sample survey released in August this year.

    The survey revealed that 90.9 percent of drug users are aware of AIDS, compared with 68.3 percent in 2004, and as high as 88.1 percent of sex workers are well informed about the disease.

    Guangdong has set up a HIV testing network covering the province's 21 cities and 97 counties and districts. Guangdong also has 83 clinics providing free AIDS consultations.

    China has approximately 650,000 people living with HIV, including 75,000 AIDS patients, according to official estimates.