China offers herbal treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers

 CHINA VIEWS
September 24, 2005

BEIJING, Sep. 24 -- A test program to treat HIV/AIDS carriers with traditional Chinese medicine has seen preliminary clinical achievements. According to the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, since China launched the program last August, eleven provinces and municipalities in total have been included. 

    Compared with the Western-style drugs that may have many side effects and are too expensive, the cost for traditional Chinese medicine in HIV/AIDS treatment is relatively low and results in fewer side effects.

    According to doctors, the herbal treatment aims to protect and raise patients' immunity, ease the symptoms so as to secure a better quality of life.

    In contrast, the western style treatment aims to kill the virus. But so far there hasn't been any kind of medicine proved to be successful in doing that.

    The test program of herbal treatment are part of China's ongoing campaign to help thousands of HIV/AIDS sufferers with the use of traditional Chinese medicine as a way to fight the fatal disease.

    Liu Wenwu, an official with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, says that the implementation of such test program looks smooth and promising.

    "Since the national test program was launched in August 2004, about 2,700 AIDS patients in the five provinces of Henan, Hebei, Anhui, Hubei and Guangdong, have got help by June this year. What's more, we are adding 6 more provinces into our coverage this year," said Liu.

    The central government has earmarked some 36 million Yuan, or more than 4.5 million US dollars, for the test program.

    More than half of which cover the cost for the drugs and the rest will be used in the training and management of the medical staff.

    HIV/AIDS carriers from the pilot areas who voluntarily participate in the program are receiving free treatment in test clinic bases established in those provinces.

    The local government and hospitals will maintain the privacy of the volunteer patients and doctors will adopt different therapies to patients in accordance with their specific conditions.

    Doctors say it is also possible to use the combination of western-style anti-virus drugs with traditional Chinese medicine.

    According to Liu Wenwu, herbal treatment for HIV/AIDS carriers has seen fairly good clinical effects.

    "Statistics show that herbal treatment for HIV/AIDS patients evidently help ease the common symptoms include diarrhea, vomit, weariness. Traditional Chinese medicine also effectively reduces those side effects of anti-virus drugs. Patients and their relatives welcome our treatment, which has enriched the clinic treatment for HIV/AIDS," said Liu. 

    Liu Wenwu added that in regards to the differences between western-style and Chinese traditional medicines, the evaluation standards of the two are different. Chinese traditional medicine experts are establishing a standardized evaluation system for curative effects, in an effort to scientifically carry out herbal treatment for HIV/AIDS.

    Official statistics show China had 840,000 people infected with HIV by the end of 2003.

    The World Health Organization reveals that over one-third of the population in developing countries lack access to essential medicine.

    Since China has fully integrated traditional medicine into its health care systems, the provision of safe and effective traditional medicine therapies could become a critical tool to increase access to the treatment of HIV/AIDS.