With an initial donation of 2 million yuan (US$255,869), China's first public fund to combat two major infectious diseases -- hepatitis and AIDS -- was launched yesterday.

China has 120 million hepatitis-B carriers, the biggest number in the world. There are also more than 20 million hepatitis-C carriers in the country. The number of people infected with HIV in China is also increasing. It is expected the figure will jump to 1.5 million in four years from the current 620,000.

To deal with the problem, the China Primary Health Care Foundation, a national welfare organization, and the Beijing-based You'an Hospital, China's biggest infectious diseases hospital, initiated the fund.

The fund will be used in seven ways to fight against hepatitis and AIDS:

• Conducting investigations into hepatitis and AIDS in order to collect relevant data, with methods of prevention and cure being led by the You'an Hospital
• Conducting research into social problems related to hepatitis and AIDS and advising relevant government departments
• Conducting scientific research into hepatitis and AIDS
• Education on hepatitis and AIDS prevention
• Training hepatitis and AIDS professionals for township-level clinics in poverty-stricken areas
• Publicizing achievements in the prevention and cure of hepatitis and AIDS
• Helping poor hepatitis and AIDS patients

"Public welfare is needed to help rural healthcare as many farmers are feeling the strain of high expenses in treating hepatitis and AIDS," Jiang Zhenghua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said yesterday at the fund's inauguration.

He pointed out that China's current registered HIV carriers were only the tip of the iceberg. According to international figures, the actual number of HIV carriers was seven to eight times greater than the registered figure.

Jin Dapeng, director of Beijing's municipal health bureau, praised the fund for that "it will contribute to preventing major infectious diseases from spreading in the country."

Also yesterday, an alliance was established combining the resources of more than 30 hospitals throughout the country, including the You'an Hospital, in treating infectious diseases.

(China Daily December 26, 2006)