Shanghai Daily news

The number of Shanghai residents carrying the AIDS virus has increased 25 percent to 213 victims so far this year, local health authorities reported yesterday.
As the city gets set to mark World AIDS Day next Wednesday, it has announced new measures to combat the deadly disease.
There are now 1,124 HIV carriers and AIDS patients in the city, officials from Shanghai Health Bureau told a news conference yesterday.
They noted that the disease is spreading rapidly across China and the world. China reported 62,159 registered HIV carriers at the end of last year. But experts say the actual number is probably around 840,000.
Among the 213 Shanghai residents who are infected this year, the number of male victims is 3.4 times higher than the figure for females, and people between 20 and 40 account for 69 percent of the total.
Sex is still the main transmission mechanism for local residents while intravenous drug use is the chief culprit for migrants.
"AIDS is on the rise in Shanghai due to the high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases and increases in drug addicts, prostitution and the migrant population," said Wang Panshi, director of the bureau's infectious disease department. Though men represent a higher proportion of HIV/AIDS patients, females are more vulnerable to the disease, experts said.
In fact, the theme for this year's World AIDS Day is "Women, Girls and HIV and AIDS."
According to the World Health Organization, the female biological system is two to four times more susceptible to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The WHO said infection rates have jumped 10 percent among women in Asia in the past two years. HIV and AIDS is fast becoming a "girl's epidemic" as young people aged between 15 and 24 account for half of all new HIV infections. Among infected young people, two thirds are female, the WHO reported.
Addressing the problem, local government said it will increase AIDS education and services for women and girls.
Shi Qiuqin, vice chairwoman of the Shanghai Women's Federation, said the organization is matching its efforts to the varying backgrounds of its clients.
"We send workers and volunteers to educate women working in entertainment venues and prisons and require them to undergo voluntary checks," she said. "We also provide help to female HIV carriers and AIDS patients, who are suffering prejudice from society."
Health officials also said they have taken AIDS education programs into the neighborhoods, reaching more than 1 million local residents. They are also encouraging the use of condoms.