Shenzhen was building a prison wing to accommodate prisoners with HIV/AIDS, the Daily Sunshine reported Saturday.

The prison, part of the No. 4 jail under construction, will be equipped with facilities for inmates afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

The number of convicted criminals with HIV/AIDS was on the rise, bringing great difficulties for jail administrators, said a spokesperson of the public security bureau.

Jails in Shenzhen had set up special wards for HIV/AIDS carriers, but that was not enough, said the spokesperson. Many prison guards and inmates were afraid of having HIV/AIDS carriers around them.

Guo Rongjun, deputy head of Shenzhen's legislature, said Shenzhen should conduct a HIV/AIDS survey on inmates to avoid the spread of the affliction in prisons.

(Shenzhen Daily December 20, 2004)