Health officials in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said yesterday that a large HIV testing program would be launched on Thursday, targeting groups of people in the region most at risk of becoming infected.

Though the tests will be voluntary, the health department encouraged people to take them to help improve HIV/AIDS preventioan and treatment initiatives, especially injecting drug users, sex workers and people who have had other sexually transmitted infections.

Partners and children of those known to have HIV/AIDS will also be sought for testing, and there will be mandatory screening of prisoners.

The program, jointly organized by regional public health, judicial and public security departments, is planned to last until the end of March and aims to test 150,000 people.

The objective is to get a better picture of the spread of HIV in Xinjiang, improve HIV/AIDS services and increase awareness.

Muhanmetemin Yasa, director of the regional public health department, said Xinjiang recorded 11,303 HIV infections by the end of September, making it the fourth most-affected part of the country. Of them, 311 had been diagnosed with AIDS and 83 had died.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2005)