Beijing, May 16th: The number of AIDS deaths every year in mainland China is increasing significantly, and it has become the "number one killer" of infectious disease deaths. The epidemic report of the Ministry of Health shows that last year, 15,982 AIDS cases and 7,743 deaths were reported across the country, ranking first among legally reportable infectious diseases. Since 2008, AIDS deaths have topped the list of infectious disease deaths for three consecutive years.

Professor Wu Zunyou, an AIDS expert and director of the China CDC Center for STD and AIDS Prevention and Control, said in an exclusive interview with our reporter today that the main reason for this phenomenon is that previously accumulated HIV-infected patients have entered the onset stage one after another. ; A considerable number of infected people have been hiding in hiding because they have been afraid to get tested for fear of incurring social discrimination. Because the disease was discovered too late and was diagnosed at an advanced stage, it was too late for the patient to receive antiviral drug treatment. Among AIDS deaths reported in the past five years, up to 80% had not received antiretroviral treatment.

Data provided by the National AIDS Special Report System show that from 2006 to 2010, the total number of deaths among AIDS patients nationwide due to various causes were 1,809, 5,544, 9,748, 12,287 and 18,987 respectively. Among them, the death cases that year were 1,723, 5,445, 8,603, 11,253 and 13,981 respectively. The number of deaths in 2010 was more than 10 times that in 2006.

Professor Wu pointed out that AIDS death cases are mainly distributed in areas with a large number of reported cases of AIDS patients and infected people, and the distribution is basically consistent with the severity of the epidemic. A total of 16 provinces have reported an increase in AIDS death cases in the past five years.

He revealed that a five-year clinical study of tens of thousands of AIDS patients in China found that late treatment was the biggest risk factor for death. He emphasized that before the implementation of free antiretroviral treatment in 2002, the case fatality rate of AIDS patients in mainland China was 30/100 to 40/100 person-years, while the current overall case fatality rate has dropped to 18/100 person-years. Among them, the mortality rate of AIDS patients receiving antiretroviral treatment has dropped to 5/100 person-years, which is the lowest mortality rate in developing countries. According to preliminary estimates, there are more than 30,000 AIDS patients across the country who have died due to reduced or delayed antiretroviral treatment.

Professor Wu said that in the next five years, based on analyzing the specific causes of death of patients, China will vigorously promote early detection and early treatment measures, carry out more targeted prevention and treatment work, reduce new infections, and further reduce the number of new infections. AIDS case fatality rate to ensure that the Millennium Development Goal of controlling the AIDS epidemic is achieved as scheduled by 2015.