China is working hard to provide children suffering from HIV/AIDS with the necessary drugs to keep the condition under control, allowing them to live otherwise normal lives, according to Zhao Yan, of the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control and Prevention.

Zhao, who is deputy director of the center's AIDS treatment and care division, told China Daily that 3,400 children suffering from HIV/AIDS had received free antiretroviral treatment on the Chinese mainland by the end of 2012, and the program appears to be yielding good results.

"Efforts in early HIV detection and quality treatment among child or baby sufferers are being prioritized to ensure its effectiveness and that they can live as normal children," said Zhao.