An Aids activist in Wuhan received an international award yesterday for his campaign against the virus.
Gui Xien, who disclosed the rampant spread of Aids in the villages of neighbouring Henan province, was given the annual prize of the Barry and Martin's Trust, which is based in England.
The award for Dr Gui follows positive gestures by the authorities to acknowledge the country's Aids problem.
In an unprecedented move, Vice-Premier Wu Yi held a meeting with Gao Yaojie, another Aids activist in December. Earlier this month, the central government announced the pending establishment of a state-level Aids prevention working committee.
Dr Gui, who was educated in the United States, runs the infectious disease department at Zhongnan Hospital, which treats about 500 Aids patients, including 50 children. He has treated some of the victims at his home.
In the late 1990s, Dr Gui was instrumental in the fight to pressure both local and central government authorities to acknowledge the massive spread of Aids among poor villagers living in Henan who had sold their blood for cash.
