MANILA, Nov. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a technical assistance grant of 800,000 US dollars tohelp reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission arising from a planned road project in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.

    The grant, the first to China from ADB's Poverty Reduction Cooperation Fund financed by the British government, will help fund AIDS awareness, information, and safe sex campaigns among local communities and migrant road workers along the road project,which will run between Kunming and Ruili, the ADB said Wednesday in a statement.

    The assistance will also set up Human Immuno Deficiency Virus/ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention services at the contractors' worksites and boost the HIV/AIDS monitoring system.

    The expressway, included in ADB's program for 2003-2005, will facilitate the flow of migrant poor and seasonal workers between provinces.

    "While the road project will significantly improve access to and from Ruili, the increase in traffic and migration, as well as the large influx of construction workers to build the road, could also accelerate the spread of HIV/AIDS," explains Takako Yasukawa,an ADB health specialist.

    High rates of HIV infection are generally found along transportroutes, border areas, and in regions experiencing higher seasonal and long-term population mobility.

    As traffic increases along the completed highway and beyond through the national trunk road system, truck drivers could also contribute to accelerating the spread of HIV and STIs. Enditem