The Chinese State Council issued a statute on the prevention and
control of AIDS on Sunday, stipulating relevant duties of all-level
governments and defining the rights and obligations of the HIV
carriers and AIDS patients.
The statute falls into seven chapters, including general rules,
publicity and education, prevention and control, cure and relief,
guarantee measures, legal responsibilities and supplementary
articles.
Governments above the county-level must provide free
anti-HIV/AIDS drugs for rural AIDS patients and underprivileged
urban patients, and offer free treatments and consultations on
prevention of the mother-baby infection to pregnant and lying-in
women, the statute says.
HIV carriers and AIDS patients must take measures to prevent
infecting other people and must not spread AIDS deliberately by any
means, according to the statue, which was approved by the State
Council on Jan. 18 and will work as of March 1.
(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2006)