AIDS ranked as top killer disease in China for third year in a row

Beijing, Feb.17 (ANI): AIDS has been ranked as the deadliest infectious disease in China for the third year in a row, claiming 7743 lives in 2010.

"Deaths from AIDS have peaked in recent years but that doesn't mean that treatment and control measures aren't working well," said Hao Yao, deputy director of the Chinese Health ministry's disease prevention and control bureau.

He said many people became infected with HIV in the late 1990's and since later they developed AIDS, the death toll from the disease was sure to rise, reports China Daily.

According to Hao, about 740,000 Chinese people live with HIV or AIDS. By the end of 2015, China will have about 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS.

In previous years, many AIDS deaths were not detected or counted due to limited resources, which have now been added in the annual figures, thus inflating the numbers, he added. (ANI)