No DPR Koreans have been infected with HIV, thus making the DPRK the only country in the world free from this deadly disease, said Kim Chong Huan, head of National Examination Institute under the DPRK Ministry of Public Health.

The first case of HIV was detected in the United States in 1981and over 40 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, which causes AIDS. The disease has killed 3.1 million people by the end of this year, according to a report issued by the World Health Organization last November.

If left unchecked, 70 million people will die of this disease in the coming 20 years, Kim said. He noted that the DPRK has embarked on cooperation with UNAIDS since 1998 to carry out preventative campaigns against the disease.

The DPRK has established a National AIDS Committee to guides AIDS-preventative work throughout the country, with HIV/AIDS test laboratories being set up.

The DPRK government put emphasis on living a healthy lifestyle in preventing HIV/AIDS and will make more efforts to guard againstHIV/AIDS, Kim noted.

The DPRK has launched a nation-wide awareness campaign in collaboration with World Heath Organization on the 15th World AIDSDay that falls on December 1 this year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2002)