China plans jails for HIV inmates

A Chinese province has announced plans to build special jails to hold inmates with HIV or Aids, in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.

The official China Daily newspaper says two separate prisons are to be built somewhere in Guangdong province.

China says it has almost a million people with the virus, but experts say the real figure is likely much higher.

The country has been criticised for its failure to tackle the spread of HIV and discrimination against carriers.

The United Nations' Aids agency says that up to 10 million Chinese people could be infected by 2010 without more aggressive prevention measures.

No doubt China will be criticised for such a move but this type of pragmatic approach is required. If people get sent to jail for 60 days for a minor offence, they should not be sentenced to die of AIDS.