The number of people who were officially reported as being infected by HIV in the first ten months this year rose 39,644 over the figure at the end of 2005, China's Minister of Health has reported. 

At the end of October 183,733 people had been officially reported over the past years as having contracted HIV, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday.

The number of officially reported AIDS sufferers rose to 40,667 at the end of October. This is up 7,781 since the end of last year.

The official number of reported deaths from AIDS in the ten months of this year was 4,060. The ministry says in total 12,464 have died from AIDS in China in the past years.

According to estimates made by the ministry, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS, China has about 650,000 people living with HIV/AIDS including 75,000 who've developed AIDS.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2006)