Current progress of China’s free ART program

INTRODUCTION At the end of 2003, there were an estimated 840,000 people in China infected with HIV, among whom 80,000 were in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART) 1]. Since 1999, the annual rate of increase in reported HIV infec- tions has been around 30%, with growing numbers of females becoming infected 1]. The transmission of HIV/ AIDS in China has been through intravenous drug use (43. 2%) in the south, southwest, and western provinces; prior commercial blood and plasma selli…