Three volunteers who work for a needle exchange program in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region were awarded the 2005 Barry & Martin's Prize on Friday for their participation in AIDS prevention and control programs.

They were selected from 102 who volunteered to participate in the program for drug users across the autonomous region.

Some of the volunteers have HIV and have worked hard, through cooperation with the local health and public security departments, to prevent the spread of the virus among drug users.

The communicable disease hospital affiliated to the Xinjiang disease prevention and control center, which gave free medical treatment to poverty-stricken HIV patients, shared the honor with the three volunteers.

Initiated by Barry & Martin's Trust in Britain, the prize encourages those who have made substantial contributions to AIDS prevention or treatment.

Martin Gordon, chairman of Barry & Martin's Trust, said both the three volunteers and the hospital have made extraordinary achievements in AIDS prevention and control.

At the end of last year, Xinjiang reported 11,990 HIV cases.