The Beijing medical authorities have issued a health certificate to a Hepatitis B carrier for the first time, making it possible for those infected with the disease to work in the catering industry.

"I have been waiting for today so long, and I am still a bit nervous," the Hepatitis B carrier, surnamed Liao said. It was the second time that he applied for the health certificate at the Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Beijing Times reported.

Liao was told earlier this month that the municipal health bureau had announced it would cancel the test of Hepatitis B for those applying for a health certificate. He called the public health service line of 12320 and received confirmation of the news.

There are over 280 million Hepatitis B carriers around the world, and about 130 million of them are in China, according to Diao Lianshuo, an expert on infectious diseases.

Liao, 28, from Fujian Province, is unemployed, but has no intention of working in the catering industry. He "just wanted to know whether the government is still prejudiced against us," he said.

He added that there is widespread discrimination of Hepatitis B carriers, even though the WHO has stated the disease is only transmitted during childbirth, by sharing syringes, or through blood transfusions and sexual contact.

The new Food Safety Act, released last July, allows Hepatitis B carriers to work in the catering industry, which means the Hepatitis B carriers can receive the health certificate.

But the CDC refused Liao's first application, and he sued the center last November.

Last month, the authorities started issuing regulations to stop discrimination against Hepatitis B carriers. The new regulations include bans on mandatory HBV tests for job applicants or those applying for places in schools in the capital.