World AIDS Day: How much do you know about HIV/AIDS?

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Today marks the World AIDS Day, which is designated on 1 December every year since 1988. It is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection, and mourning those who have died of the disease. 

Government and health officials, non-governmental organizations and individuals around the world observe the day, often with education on AIDS prevention and control. 

World AIDS Day is one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization.

As of 2017, AIDS has killed between 28.9 million and 41.5 million people worldwide, and an estimated 36.7 million people are living with HIV, making it one of the most important global public health issues in recorded history.

To raise the awarness of it, we interviewed some students to see how much they know about HIV/AIDS.

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Students face rising risk of HIV/AIDS infection

Students have faced increasing risks of being infected with HIV/AIDS in recent years, so it's necessary to be smarter and more cooperative in efforts to control and prevent it in China, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"Reported cases of HIV infection among young males, especially college students, have been increasing in the past few years, with transmission mostly occurring through sex between men," Gao Fu said.

Of the newly reported cases involving male patients between 15 and 29 years old in the first half of the year, more than half of transmissions were through gay contact, he said.

Of all cases reported in China between January and June, about 69 percent involved transmission through heterosexual contact, while gay contact accounted for 25.6 percent of the total.

According to the China CDC, the number of new HIV cases in people between 15 and 24 years old in China increased from about 8,300 in 2008 to nearly 17,000 in 2015. Men having sex with men accounted for more than 58 percent of all the infections in that group in 2015, the center said.

Huang Chun, deputy head of the Beijing CDC, said students have become a key target for HIV/AIDS control and prevention in Beijing over the past several years.

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The number of reported cases among students in Beijing has risen since 2000, the year that the first HIV infection in a student was reported in the city, he said.

The city reported 128 new HIV cases among students between January and October this year, he said. By the end of October, there were 1,296, he said. Since the first HIV case was reported in Beijing in 1985, the number has grown to more than 25,000 by the end of October.

Jiang Chu, director of the CDC in Beijing's Haidian district, said a prominent feature of new HIV infections in Beijing is the increase among college students and senior high school students — especially among men who have sex with men.

"Many college students in Beijing have a more liberal mind than previous generations," he said. "This has created serious challenges for the prevention and control of HIV in Beijing."

Jiang said the Haidian CDC has launched some pilot projects for HIV control and prevention at universities in the district. Measures include free condoms and the installation of automatic vending machines that sell HIV test kits at low prices.

"We find many universities are now paying more attention to HIV control and prevention," he said. "Many of them are now supporting us in the installation of such machines on campus," Jiang said. "Just a few years ago they were reluctant to do so for various reasons, including denial that HIV cases were a problem."

China CDC's Gao said prevention and control of HIV/AIDS — including among young people — cannot succeed without cooperation that includes others besides health authorities, such as educators.

More sex education should be provided to students for HIV/AIDS prevention, and different departments, including the public security organs, CDCs and hospitals should improve cooperation to improve their efficiency in controlling and preventing the disease, he said.

China reported 68,000 HIV/AIDS cases between January and June this year, an increase of 8.5 percent over the same period last year, Gao said.

Test kits on sale in campus vending machines

Health authorities are stocking food vending machines with HIV testing kits at universities in Beijing to help combat a rise of HIV/AIDS among young people, particularly college students.

To date, 11 universities in Haidian district — home to 79 percent of the capital's students — have installed 22 vending machines selling HIV testing kits, and two more are expected to join them by the end of the year.

The market price of the test kit is 298 yuan ($45), but the vending machines on campus sell them for 30 yuan.

A vending machine in a student service building has attracted the attention of Tsinghua University students since it was installed, according to Jin Mingxing, a 24-year-old hair stylist from Shenyang, Liaoning province, who works in a salon near the machine.

"In the first three days, 10 test kits in the machine sold quickly," Jin said. "Foreigners bought most of those kits, mainly in the daytime."

A urine sampling instrument with instructions is included in the kit. A hole in the vending machine collects the sticks for inspection. Anonymous testers can check the results online in 10 days using a unique code.

Fifty-eight test kits were sold from Sept 27 to Nov 13, with all negative results, according to the Haidian CDC.

The vending machines are mainly installed in front of dormitories for males, the center added.

Liang Jiahua, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering at Tsinghua, said he thought it was a good way to prevent HIV transmission.

"I knew some basic information about the prevention and transmission of HIV infection from a lecture about AIDS during military training when the semester began," the 18-year-old said.

He said the service helps at-risk students voluntarily check their condition and seek solutions.

James Smith, an exchange student at Tsinghua from the University of South Carolina in the United States, said the HIV test kit is useful, especially in countries where people might have less awareness of HIV knowledge.

"It's a good thing to have access to it, especially cheap access," he said, adding that "you can prevent its spread and have a way to treat it".

Beijing launches HIV/AIDS hotline

Beijing has launched a hotline to provide consulting services to HIV/AIDS patients.

Beijing Home of Red Ribbon, a non-governmental organization, launched the hotline to provide a series of services, including basic knowledge of HIV/AIDS, evaluation of unsafe sex, and psychological counseling.

Zhao Hongxin, an HIV/AIDS expert with Beijing Ditan Hospital, took the first call on the hotline, answering questions about unsafe sex and antiretroviral drugs.

"We must give HIV/AIDS patients enough care and support, mainly medical aid, to solve their problems," said Wang Kerong, Beijing Home of Red Ribbon office director.

The organization was established in 2005 and provides comprehensive care for HIV/AIDS patients and their families, with medical support, volunteer services and legal aid.

The Beijing hotline number is 4000681221.

We have to know how to protect ourselves.

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