Volume 15, No 11, Nov 2005
ISSN: 1001-0602
EISSN: 1748-7838 2018
impact factor 17.848*
(Clarivate Analytics, 2019)
Volume 15 Issue 11, November 2005: 883-890
REVIEWS
Care of HIV-infected patients in China
Yun Zhen CAO1 and Hong Zhou LU2
1The AIDS Research Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
2Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai/FuDan Public Health Center & Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201508, China
Correspondence: Yun Zhen CAO(dryunzhencao@yahoo.com)
Compared with high infection areas of the world, the total HIV infection rate in China is relatively low. Nonetheless, because of China's vast territory and large population, the potential infection risk must be taken seriously. In the next few years, needle sharing among injection drug users will remain the most common route of transmission for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in China. Unprotected sex is gradually becoming a major route of transmission. China began to implement HAART in 1999 according to international standards. Prior to 2003, there were only about 150 HIV/AIDS patients were treated with HAART in some clinical trials and about 100 HIV/AIDS patients were treated by private sources. Results of those treatments are the scientific basis for development of the therapeutic strategies in China. In March of 2003, the Chinese government initiated China CARES program. In November of 2003, the Chinese Ministry of Health announced a national policy of free ARV treatment to all HIV+ Chinese citizens who were in poverty and required ARV therapy. There are total of 19,456 HIV/AIDS patients received free ARV drugs to date in 159 regions and 441 towns. Current challenges are how to follow-up and evaluate those patients in the clinical settings. The longer the therapy is postponed, the more side effects and the higher probability of drug resistance are going to occur. It remains unclear, therefore, when HAART regimen should be started in the HIV/AIDS population in China.
Cell Research (2005) 15, 883–890. doi:10.1038/sj.cr.7290363
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