What is HIV and AIDS?

The map above shows two provinces that have the most number of infections.
Henan Province – in the 1990s, many impoverished farmers sold their blood to illegal
blood stations in order to supplement their incomes. In order for the donors to recover
quickly from the blood loss, plasma that had been pooled together was re-injected into
the donor. This plasma was not tested for HIV. This has resulted in more than 10,000
cases of HIV and AIDS in 2003 (UNICEF, 2005).
The Government responded by shutting down all the illegal blood stations as well as
providing support to those affected including:
- waiving school fees for children affected by HIV and AIDS
- free screening test and confirmation test for anyone who wants to be tested for
HIV
- all clinics, hospitals and health workers are required to use disposable needles
and syringes for all injections
- road construction in villages affected by HIV and AIDS to help stimulate local
economy
- provision of water to every household to maintain good sanitary conditions, and
make agricultural work easier for HIV and AIDS affected families
- free flour and low-cost supplies for families in especially difficult economic
circumstances
- and exemption from a variety of local taxes for people living with HIV and AIDS
and their family members
(Source: UNICEF, 2005)
Yunnan Province – this south-western province borders Vietnam, Laos and Burma. It
is part of what is known as the “Golden Drug Triangle” with links to nearby Thailand.
Because of its location, drug smuggling within the region is widespread. This has led
to an increase in injecting drug use. With increasing unsafe drug use through sharing
of needles the number of HIV infections has also grown.
Other most-at-risk populations (MARPs) include commercial sex workers and migrant
workers. The rate of infections amongst commercial sex workers has also risen due to
lack of access to information and services. According to a Beijing municipal report in
November 2008, only 4.5% of female sex workers used condoms with their clients
(TIME, 2009).
A rising and highly mobile population of rural migrant workers are also increasingly
vulnerable to HIV. Being away from home and lacking the normal social support
structure needed, migrant workers are vulnerable to risky behaviour including drug
use and unsafe sex. With an estimated 135 million internal migrant workers
(Shi, 2008), many of whom are illiterate, speak only local dialects and have no
knowledge of SRH makes it very difficult for healthcare workers to monitor and treat
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