介绍:
It’s been announced that students in central China’s Henan province can be tested for HIV when enrolling into college later this year.
Local education authorities said that all universities and post-secondary technical schools in the province will provide such tests during students’ medical examinations.
The tests will be free and voluntary, and according to Wang Zhe, deputy director at the Henan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, they are meant to promote HIV and AIDS awareness among college students.
But some students have already voiced concerns about potential discrimination and privacy issues.
COMMENTS:
(QD) A 42-year-old HIV-positive patient in Henan province who has a daughter in college, said in an interview that,
"I don't accept the new requirements, and I hope my daughter won’t be forced to take such tests. People with such diseases are already under immense mental pressure. Such a regulation would only increase their anxiety"
(ZL) Guohua(国华) said on 163.com that,
According to the relevant laws and regulations, HIV testing in China is voluntary. No individuals and organizations have the right to force people to have an HIV test - the same rules apply to colleges. I think it’s perfectly fine to promote AIDS awareness on college campus but they must respect other people’s privacy. There are a lot of other ways to do that.
(BL)But, Wu Zunyou, director of the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control and Prevention, strongly supports this new policy in Henan.
“First of all, the tests wouldn’t deprive the patients the chance to a college education - there are hundreds of HIV and AIDS patients on college campuses now in Henan. Besides, the increase in testing could only reduce the stigma and discrimination of HIV/AIDS patients. Nearly 50 percent of HIV/AIDS patients in China are unaware that they are carriers, and more than half of the people who died of AIDS last year only learned about it when they were tested. Early testing, diagnosis and treatment could prolong the life of a patient and they can only be encouraged.
Notes:
--One of the most populous provinces, Henan has 40,000 HIV/AIDS patients and more than 4,000 new patients each year, according to the provincial health department.
--Sexual transmission has replaced blood transmission as the top means by which HIV is spread, accounting for more than 90 percent of new cases.
--Xu Hui, a publicity official at the Henan Health and Family Planning Commission, said the authority will issue more notices giving guidance to the HIV test for the new college graduates. She declined to provide more information.
(QD) Huang Zhong on sohu thinks this is all a huge fuss for nothing,
After reading all the comments online, I was left wondering what the hoopla was about? There’s no harm in having an HIV test. It’s free!
The core issue is that HIV and AIDS are still a huge taboo on campus and in our society. Students don’t want to discuss this topic and are embarrassed to have the test. I think some of the students really want to do the test but are worried about what their friends might think…gossips about their sex lives or drug-taking etc. The test itself isn’t the problem, students’ scruple is.
(ZL) Pan Yongsheng（潘永胜), father of a high school student in Pingdingshan Henan province says on China Daily,
This measure is supposed to do a lot of good regarding the wellbeing of a student. But my question is, if a student's privacy is disclosed by another student, who will be punished for that?
(BL) Finally, here’s Leo on sina weibo,
Health authorities should put their priorities on education and publicity of HIV/AIDS prevention. Although they promise to keep the test results strictly confidential, I highly doubt their capacity to protect the privacy of the students. Besides, the students may feel embarrassed to have the test with so many
