AIDS fallacies sustain prejudice

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-11-19  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

PUBLIC misconceptions surrounding AIDS in China still caused discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS, a United Nations official said yesterday.

Many people were unwilling to live in the same household, have meals, or work with an HIV-positive person, which should be a cause for concern, said Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS China country coordinator.

Schwartlander's comments follow a new survey of AIDS-related knowledge and behavior among Chinese that showed misconceptions and discrimination remained serious despite years of public education efforts.

The survey of more than 6,000 students, white and blue-collar workers, and migrant workers found 48 percent believed that a mosquito bite could transmit the AIDS virus.

The survey was jointly conducted by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, the China HIV/AIDS Media Partnership, Renmin University and UNAIDS. The interviews were conducted in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Kunming.

Although 80 percent of the respondents knew HIV could be transmitted through contaminated syringes or unprotected sex, 18 percent falsely believed they could also contract HIV by having an HIV-positive person sneeze or cough on them.

About 16 percent believed they could get infected by sharing a cup or eating with an HIV-positive person.

Nearly 65 percent of respondents said they did not want to live in the same household, 47.8 percent of the respondents were unwilling to have meals with an HIV-positive person, and 41.3 percent were unwilling to work with an HIV-infected person.

While 57.9 percent thought HIV-positive students should be allowed to study with healthy students, 30 percent objected to the idea.