The Chinese central government will allocate 470 million yuan (US$56.8 million) to strengthen AIDS/HIV control this year, along with the formulation of a national regulation in that regard, a top health official said Tuesday.

The fund, up 20 percent from last year, will be distributed to specific provinces and counties for publicity, test and treatment of AIDS patients and HIV carriers and prevention of infection, said Vice Health Minister Wang Longde at a press conference.

The Chinese central government input 100 million yuan in 2001 for AIDS/HIV control, a large increase compared with the previous per-year-fund of 15 million yuan.

China, with officially reported about 840,000 HIV carriers and 80,000 AIDS patients, plans to increase the number of national AIDS/HIV surveillance outlets from the current 194 to 300 next year to perfect the existing surveillance network, Wang said.

The Ministry of Health is organizing experts to draft a national regulation on AIDS/HIV control, which is expected to be presented to the State Council this year, the official said.

China has formulated a five-year working plan and a 12-year blueprint for AIDS/HIV control, along with series of detailed instructions, according to Wang.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2004)