Over 50 officials, mainly from China's charity and civil affairs departments, began a two-week training class on HIV/AIDS, on Friday.

The training course on HIV/AIDS prevention and control will teach basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS such as transmission, prevention and control methods, and the importance of treating people living with HIV without prejudice.

It will also include seminars on China's HIV/AIDS epidemic situation and its development trends and proper ways to assist people who are HIV-positive and AIDS patients.

The participants, who also include neighborhood committee officials and community officials and volunteers, are from over 10 provincial regions including Henan, Anhui and Sichuan.

"Many of them work face to face with people living with HIV, but they lack basic knowledge on the virus, so it's necessary to offer them training," said Liu Hongwei, an official with the training program's sponsor China Charity Federation.

An important part of the training is to teach the officials how to avoid being exposed to HIV and emergency treatments if they are.

The course will be offered at a later day for another 50 officials.

China, home to estimated 650,000 people living with HIV, has officially reported more than 180,000 infections, including over 40,000 AIDS cases.

Source: Xinhua