China reports 70,000 new HIV infections in 9 months

BEIJING - China reported some 70,000 cases of new HIV infections in the first nine months of the year, bringing the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS to 434,000, the country's health authority said Sunday.

From January to September, 80.7 million people received tests for HIV, an increase of 8.9 percent from the same period last year, said a National Health and Family Planning Commission statement.

A total of 3,413 anti-virus treatment organizations have been set up in 31 provincial-level regions. As of the end of September about 209,000 people were receiving therapy.

China tested 7.43 million pregnant women for HIV/AIDS in the first nine months of the year to prevent possible mother-to-child transmission, the statement said.