China’s HIV/AIDS-Plagued region Launches Blanket Surveillance

Efforts are underway to account for all persons with HIV/AIDS in Xinjiang. Xinjiang has one-tenth of the nation’s HIV cases:

Health authorities in a remote Chinese region bordering one of Asia’s major poppy fields have launched blanket surveillance tactics in medical institutions to account for every one living with HIV/AIDS in the region, local officials said Thursday.

The health bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said hospitals and clinics should conduct mandatory AIDS tests for in-patients and 80 percent of the out-patients in counties, cities or districts, which reported 500 or more cases of HIV/AIDS each.

For cities or counties where more than 300 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported, hospitals are required to administer mandatory AIDS tests to all in-patients and at least half of the out-patients, authorities said.