30 October 2008,Beijing – A recent survey supported by UNAIDS revealed high level of stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV among the adult population in 6 urban centres in China:

• 30% think HIV positive children should not be allowed to study at the same schools as uninfected children.
• Nearly 65% would be unwilling to live in same household with an HIV-infected person and 48% of interviewees would be unwilling to have a meal with an HIV-infected person.

Discrimination is prohibited in China, but its strong prevalence impacts the lives of people living with HIV negatively and has a very harmful effect on HIV prevention. It creates fear from being associated with AIDS. This keeps people from seeking information about HIV and getting tested. More than 700,000 people live with HIV in China. But most have not been tested and are unaware of their HIV infection, which also means that they do not get the counseling and treatment that could help save their own and their partners’ lives.

This was one of the key messages at a press conference organized today by UNAIDS with the participation of South African Supreme Court Judge Edwin Cameron and President of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and former Vice Minister of Health Professor Wang Longde.

Professor Wang Longde, said “Significant progress has been made in the AIDS response in China, but much remains to be done. Unfortunately even in the health sector we are struggling with discrimination of people living with HIV. Health staff all over China must take the lead in countering discrimination. How else can we convince others that there is nothing to fear?”

Justice Edwin Cameron is a South African Supreme Court judge, author, and internationally-renowned advocate in the fight against AIDS and discrimination. He is openly living with HIV and is visiting China at the invitation of the Minister of Health and UNAIDS. During his visit, he has met with high level representatives of the Chinese government, civil society and business leaders, as well as with people living with HIV and academics.

“I commend China for the legal framework that exists to protect the rights of people living with HIV. However, I understand from my many discussions here that much remains to be done to ensure the rights of people living with HIV are protected in practice. This would include rights to treatment,” Justice Cameron said.

In China most people living with HIV qualify for free treatment with the so-called first line ARV drugs. However, a significant number of people have developed resistance to these drugs and now require so-called second line treatment, which is effective even after resistance to the first line drugs has been developed. This is a stronger and more effective treatment. However, second line drugs are not widely available in China.

As of the end of 2007, there were approximately 700,000 people living with HIV in China. In 2007, approximately 50,000 new infections occurred and there were an estimated 20,000 AIDS related deaths. Sexual transmission is now the most common way of HIV infections in China. An estimated 120,000 to 150,000 people living with HIV may require ARV treatment following the Government’s treatment guidelines. Currently about 40,000 receive treatment.

Contact
Mr Ole Schack Hansen | UNAIDS China | +86 10 8532 2226 | hanseno@unaids.org