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Christian Conference of Asia
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SCMP - Saturday, May 31, 2003
Why China must take Aids as seriously as Sars ALONZO EMERY China watchers and political pundits alike speculate that the Sars crisis will herald greater changes in the political status quo. And perhaps they are right. Already, the mainland government has taken the unprecedented step of admitting it lied by greatly understating the number of cases. Citizens naturally question why their government put their lives at risk by withholding information. But what happens when mainland citizens and the greater international community start looking deeper at the health-care system? What happens when we start asking questions about other killers, such as Aids? Aids looms as a potentially devastating killer in China, with its 1.3 billion people. Today, the HIV/Aids rate remains relatively low at one case for every 1,300 people. But last June, a UNAids report, entitled "China's Titanic Peril", warned that unless drastic measures are taken the number of people infected could rise from the one million of today to 20 million by 2010. "China is on the verge of a catastrophe that could result in unimaginable human suffering, economic loss and social devastation," the report said. The Chinese government had not done enough to educate the public about Aids, according to the report, with many mainland people still believing it can be spread through handshakes and mosquito bites. It attributed the spread of Aids to "a lack of commitment and leadership ... a crumbling public health-care system and severe stigma and discrimination". To be sure, the same culprits that helped spread Sars - official denial and public ignorance - have also contributed to the spread of Aids. Almost 18 years after the first reported case of Aids on the mainland in 1985, health officials - hesitant to acknowledge a disease often linked to homosexuality, drug use and prostitution - are beginning to respond to the threat. The central government went public with its fight against Aids last year in the wake of a rampant spread among peasants in rural Henan province. They contracted HIV after selling their blood to illegal blood banks that used unsanitary collection methods. But the mainland's fight against Aids remains fragmented and poorly funded. Its five-year plan for Aids education will, at best, reach only 45 per cent of the 900 million peasants by 2005. This will not be effective in curbing the spread of the disease. In other countries, such as India and Uganda, activists and non-governmental organisations take over where the government leaves off, often producing the most effective, far-reaching results. But on the mainland, where the term non-governmental organisation is a contradiction in terms, only a handful of scientists, health-care workers and Aids activists engage in campaigns to combat the disease. Leading activist Wan Yanhai, the founder of the Aids Action Project, gained notoriety after exposing the plight of the Henan peasants who contracted HIV by selling their blood. In other countries, the government might consider Mr Wan a saviour. Instead, he was arrested without explanation last August. His detainment highlights the mainland government's reluctance to endorse the activities of non-governmental organisations working in the Aids field. It is also a missed opportunity to capitalise on the expertise of those Aids activists. The fear of arrest and condemnation has led many to wage underground campaigns, passing out condoms and safe-sex booklets to prostitutes, drug addicts and homosexuals. But this leaves out the majority of the population, who are not beyond the reach of the virus. It is the average citizen who needs to be educated about HIV/Aids. The mainland government not only needs to expand education measures, it must also contribute the money necessary to fund effective campaigns. The UN Global Fund to fight Aids is considering China's second application for a US$100 million grant to help sufferers. Although it is common practice that recipient countries match funds being offered by the outside world, China has allocated just US$15 million - US$3 million of which went to the Aids victims in Henan province. The central government has a particular responsibility to the Henan farmers because it had a direct role in authorising their blood collection. Its penny-pinching approach to Aids funding means the forecast of the "titanic peril" may become reality. Mainland health officials need to take HIV/Aids just as seriously as Sars. Epidemiologists say Aids is starting to infiltrate larger pockets of the population, a process catalysed by the booming sex industry and 100 million unregistered migrant workers drifting across the country. The illegal status of migrants and prostitutes places them beyond the reach of state health care. But these are the people the health-care system should target first. Unless the central government revolutionises the way it combats Aids, the situation will get out of control. Keeping Aids a dirty secret will enable it - like Sars - to spread more quickly. And, just like Sars, the virus can reach anyone. *Alonzo Emery is a writer based in Ningbo. posted by cbs on Saturday, May 31, 2003 |
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