HIV/AIDS,A Social Issue

On the 29th World AIDS Day on December 1， when various activities were held nationwide to disseminate information on HIV/AIDS-related issues， participants hugged and shook hands with other participants living with HIV/AIDS， providing a striking contrast to the early days when the diagnosis of AIDS often created panic and peoples first reaction was to ostracize HIV/AIDS patients.

This change is happening not because HIV/AIDS is no longer feared， but because greater knowledge and understanding about the disease and how it is contracted are making it possible for people to regard it as just another disease. This should be attributed to two important tasks China has executed. First， there has been a consistent campaign to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS so that they are perceived correctly. Second， government efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS have created a sense of confidence.

Since the first HIV case in China was detected in 1985， China has been stepping up efforts to spread awareness about treatment methods and means of prevention， with remarkable achievements. So far， the country has slashed transmission through blood transfusion and put infections through shared needle use as well as mother-to-baby transmissions under effective control. The mortality rate has also been sharply reduced.

There are four free services for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment： consultation and HIV antibody screening； anti-viral treatment； provision of medicines to block mother-tobaby transmission for pregnant women with HIV/AIDS and testing reagents for babies； and free psychological counseling for children orphaned by AIDS.

Besides， authorities at various levels are providing assistance and subsidies to people with HIV/AIDS in accordance with social aid and relief regulations. Countrywide， patients have access to unified treatment. Data on diagnosis， treatment and follow-up visits are collected by disease prevention authorities so that services can be provided efficiently.

In October， the Central Government issued the Healthy China 2030 plan， which has stricter requirements for HIV/AIDS testing， anti-viral treatment and follow-up visit management， so as to keep further infections at a low level. The plan is a national roadmap for the health sector which covers areas such as public health services， environmental management， and food and drug safety.

However， HIV/AIDS is not just a medical problem， but a social issue as well. China has made great headway in preventing HIV/AIDS， but discrimination against patients still exists in Chinese society. Decreasing fear of HIV/AIDS has yet to result in a nondiscriminatory attitude toward patients. How to eliminate this discrimination should be given as much consideration as the efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS.