Beijing targets halving of HIV cases

Vaccine development to top agenda to 2010

The mainland has spelled out science and technology plans to combat the country's Aids pandemic in a key document that vows to cut the infection and death rate by half within five years, Xinhua reported.

According to the Outlines for Scientific and Technological Control and Prevention of Diseases, released yesterday by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the research and development of Aids vaccines and treatments will top the ministry's work agenda until 2010.

Two years ago, the central government ordered that the prevention and control of major infectious diseases such as Aids and hepatitis be one of the 16 major science and technology tasks during the 11th five-year plan. But the ministry's outline document marks the first time a detailed science and technology programme to combat Aids officially has been mapped out.

Under the outline, the mainland plans to establish an effective Aids therapy and immunisation programme suitable for both adults and children. The targeted effectiveness of the programme is 50 per cent within the first year.

The country also plans to complete the third and final phase of its first HIV/Aids vaccine test. The first phase of the test was launched in March 2005 in Nanning , Guangxi , where 49 volunteers aged between 18 and 50 received vaccine injections.