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Participants at UNAIDS event in Beijing
(Originally published on 12/01/2014)
As part of Baidu’s online series ‘Baidu Health’, a live webcast was conducted at the UN Compound on 26th November 2014. To watch the video of the discussion, please click here.
Given the nature of the global HIV epidemic, access to information and education concerning HIV prevention is of utmost importance in stemming the tide of new infections. A decade ago most infections were amongst those who inject drugs but in recent years a shift has been seen towards more sexual transmission. In particular, gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are most at risk and therefore most in need of community support and education.
The discussion was joined by Mr. Liu Shi, a gay man openly living with HIV and a well known advocate for HIV prevention and anti-discrimination in China. Diagnosed early, he lives a full and complete life and campaigns tirelessly to raise awareness in the community of the importance of regular HIV testing. Unfortunately the majority of people living with HIV in China do not know they have been infected and only find out as they develop severe complications. Dealing with stigma and discrimination is essential to reach out to the most vulnerable populations and increasing testing rates.
At the same time more and more heterosexual women are also contracting HIV, said Mr. Andrea Pastorelli, Policy Specialist at UNDP China’s Poverty, Equity and Governance Team. Because of high social stigma, many men who have sex with men decide to remain married and thus pose a great risk of contracting HIV and transferring to their spouses.
The legal environment has also an extremely important role to play in improving the response to AIDS in China. While China passed the 2006 National AIDS regulations, stating that no one should be discriminated against for living with HIV, these are often ignored or superseded by more powerful criminal laws against sex work or drug use. These laws and the harsh enforcement practices that follow often impede proper prevention and outreach activities. But conflicts in the law are also evident in more normal cases, like the fact that many civil service departments exclude people living with HIV from obtaining employment.
While progress has been made in China, including the establishment of many dedicated testing centres, much remains to be done. Through efficient government policies we hope to see a concerted move to address the legal issues surrounding HIV. Only through public education and government action can China really take the lead in halting the HIV epidemic and provide the necessary social support to those living with HIV.
To further increase public awareness of HIV, UNDP joined UNAIDS and several youth leaders for the “27th World AIDS Day Advocacy Activity”. The event was supported by the TV show “Voice of China”, and featured Geng Sihan and Liang Dongjiang taking to the stage to perform, drawing a huge crowd and emphasising the promotion of HIV knowledge and self-protection, as well as calling upon all the youth to follow a healthy and safe lifestyle.
Given the advances in social knowledge and medical support, as well as the falling cost of antiretroviral drugs, there was a sense of excitement and hope that enough concrete action is being taken to lower the rate of HIV transmission. However, the emphasis continued to be placed on youth education. Whereas global deaths from AIDS-related illnesses have fallen by 30% from 2012, youth deaths from the same have unfortunately increased by 50% so promotion of knowledge and safe practices is of paramount importance.
Joining the activity was CEO of mobile app Blued, Mr. Geng Le, who promoted the use of technology and the internet to raise knowledge awareness of the importance of staying safe and reiterated the call for young people to get themselves checked regularly, particularly those from the most vulnerable groups.
To see footage from the event, please click here.
