The Unseen Epidemic
by Lauren Ting
While the AIDS epidemic in areas like sub-Saharan Africa is finally garnering the world’s attention, other areas where the spread of AIDS is increasing dramatically have been overlooked for too long. One such nation is China, where AIDS was first reported in Beijing in 1985. Since then it has been spreading, first to coastal cities and foreign travelers, continuing through and beyond the Yunnan province. By 1998, it had been reported in all thirty one provinces.
When instances of the disease were first discovered in China, it was considered by the government to be the manifestation of a Western problem - initiated by drug abuse, capitalism, and abnormal sexuality. By 1998, the problem had grown to such great proportions that it could no longer be avoided, and the government initiated a program focused on awareness, prevention, treatment, and eliminating the virus from the blood supply. Since then, China’s Health Minister and other government officials have tried to establish greater openness about the disease, and on World AIDS Day 2003, Wen Jiabao became the first Chinese Premier to shake hands with an HIV-infected person. In December 2003, he and Vice Premier Wu Yi established the “Four Frees and One Care” plan, hoping to provide free drugs and counseling to HIV patients, prevent mother to child transmission, care for AIDS-orphaned children, and financially assist the households of those living with AIDS. The government has even surprised many by initiating several free condom pilots in attempts to legitimize condoms as medical devices geared towards safer sex, rather than signs of promiscuity.
Despite these high hopes, many worry that the infrastructure of the Chinese government is not strong enough to uphold these wishes. The HIV positive population of the country increases by thirty percent annually. To thwart such growth, drastic action needs to be taken. Because China’s massive working population is most at risk, an epidemic would result in an economic downfall, and the government would be forced to shoulder the social and economic burden of thousands of orphans left behind. While the country has, in recent years, greatly increased the portion of its budget spent on AIDS awareness and prevention (up to $12 million in 2001 from around $500,000 in 1990), it still spends little in comparison to its much smaller neighbor Thailand, and analysts say the current sum may still be inadequate. The public health care system in China is flawed, and does not possess the means to reach out to rural victims of the virus. Even in cities, the exorbitant prices of antiretroviral treatments make them an unavailable option for most patients. Few doctors are licensed to prescribe them, and without proper monitoring, their use could create drug-resistant strains of HIV, increasing the treatment problems.
While the official figures for the infected population in China remain low, the actual figures are probably much higher. Health workers cite the stigma of the disease and the shortage of testing equipment as the sources of such low reporting rates. The Chinese government has recognized three high-risk groups who tend to have the greatest infection rates: IV drug users, commercial sex-workers, and those infected through unsafe blood transfusions. What makes China’s situation so precarious is the large migrant population (estimated to be between 120 and 130 million) who travel from city to city in search of work, and who could contribute greatly to the exponential rise in the spread of HIV. Especially as China’s economy continues to grow and people’s mobility increases, so will the portability of AIDS. UNAIDS claims that by 2010 as many as 15 million Chinese will be infected with HIV/AIDS.
Fortunately, China realizes the risks that it faces, and has become much more open to international aid, grassroots organizations, and NGOs. It even allows independent groups of students to travel to rural areas to educate locals about sexual health, drug use, and other methods through which the virus is spread. This international openness is helping China develop effective policy, attracting major political figures including former President Bill Clinton, who recently visited China in an attempt to assist an issue which he addressed during his presidency, but was unable to sufficiently concentrate on.
Visiting the most ravaged area of China, the Yunnan Province, Clinton has spoken with AIDS patients, and addressed the sensitive issues of sex and drugs - necessary components of AIDS education. His foundation is funding a new testing lab in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Clinton’s media savvy and openness towards HIV patients has made progress in convincing international leaders that global AIDS requires publicity and education.
Clinton’s group and other organizations are playing a
pivotal role in transforming world-wide perceptions of HIV/AIDS. In
partnership with the Chinese government, groups like these are making
progress towards creating a more accepting and aware society, one where
treatment is available and inexpensive. Hopefully, through proper aid
channels, and with an increasingly educated population, China will avert
crisis and learn to carefully manage and treat, both physically and
socially, the manifestations of AIDS.
