KUNMING: The nation's first provincial regulation on AIDS prevention and finding a cure takes effect in the southwestern province of Yunnan today, where the greatest number of Chinese infections have been found.

The province, bordering one of the world's major drug production sources - the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia - vowed to invest 520 million yuan (US$63 million) over the next five to 10 years to curb the current rapid spread of the AIDS epidemic. Drug users sharing dirty syringes is one of the ways the disease has been spreading.

The regulation stipulates methadone treatment and access to free unused syringes in designated communities, which is also seen as a significant breakthrough in the province's fight against drugs, said Cui Zhitao, the provincial government's spokesman.

In addition, the regulation states that AIDS families will receive condoms for free and condom vending machines will be installed at public entertainment and densely populated places, such as hotels, bus and railway stations, ports, tourism spots and construction sites.

"It cannot be inferred that the provincial government has adopted a tolerant attitude toward drug abuse and prostitution," said Cui, adding the above measures are aimed at curbing the spread of AIDS in a pragmatic way.

The regulation also prohibits doctors and healthcare institutions from releasing the personal information of AIDS patients.

Statistics show there were nearly 15,000 HIV carriers in Yunnan at the end of last year.

The figure has grown dramatically since 1989, when the first batch of 149 HIV carriers on the Chinese mainland was found in the province's Dehong region.

A total of 558 of Yunnan's 907 AIDS patients had died by the end of last year. The figure accounts for more than one-quarter of all AIDS deaths in China.

Cui said the infection rate has climbed quickly among high-risk groups in Yunnan. About 20 per cent of drug users who inject have HIV/AIDS, while the average infection rate is 2.5 per cent among sex workers.

Cui said six major projects are planned for the next five to 10 years in order to check the rampant spread of AIDS in the province, where 121 counties and cities have HIV/AIDS sufferers.

The projects include greater access to methadone treatment, the distribution of free unused syringes and condom disposal facilities in public places.

Additionally, the provincial government will make more of an effort to build AIDS care centres, publicize AIDS prevention material, tackle key research projects on AIDS prevention and treatment, and "sanitize" the social environment by fighting against drug abuse and prostitution.

The construction of care centres is already up and running, with the opening of the first special institute providing patients with AIDS consultation, prevention, testing and treatment in December.

All of the centres are expected to provide treatment and care to a large number of HIV/AIDS sufferers, who cannot be catered for at ordinary hospitals.

Chen Juemin, spokesman for Yunnan's Health Department, said methadone treatment had been carried out in seven counties and cities of Yunnan by the end of last year and it will cover 22 regions by 2009, where many HIV carriers were infected through blood transmissions.

Methadone is a substitute narcotic used in the treatment of heroin addiction.

(China Daily 03/01/2004 page3)