Problem And Extent Of Hiv / Aids - 1539 Words

Problem and Extent of HIV/AIDS Impact in China From the narrative, Dazou merely represents one of the thousands of people who have contracted HIV through paid plasma plasma donation and unhygienic blood banks. The National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of China reports 501,000 reported cases of people living with HIV/AIDS. Although the pervasiveness of HIV may be low compared to China’s 1.3 billion population, certain communities have HIV prevalence rates as high as 60%, and certain public health measures and attention must be promptly issued. The extent of HIV/AIDS impacts not an individual’s physical health, but it also a social stigma that affects the emotional and mental health of and discrimination†¦show more content†¦Although donors are required to take a physical examination and test for antibodies against hepatitis B and C, the HIV-1 antibody is not (Wu et al. 1995). Often to save money and promote efficiency, blood collection centers pool the blood by blood type, and some blood donors are re-injected with the contaminated blood back into the donor’s body. Commercial plasma businesses have created a host of severe public health problems and after- effects. Not only are are blood donors contracting this disease from the poor sanitation and lack of responsible HIV testing, but it also indirectly impacting the health of families and hospital patients. Since the symptoms of HIV are not immediately detected, the infection can be transmitted to sexual partners, and even blood transfusions in hospitals. HIV prevalence is 15.1% among former plasma donors and 4.8% among non-donors, demonstrating that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has also spread to non-donors (Ji et al. 2006). Local Factors Responses Anhui is an eastern province in China. It is a predominantly rural, agricultural area, and many peasants face economic pressures and do not have poor health care access. Able-bodied adults without the finances to support their family are incentivized to sell their blood to blood collection centers that pay 20-200 yuan per donation (Erwin 2006). To worsen the unstoppable problem, government and and international companies were willing to pay for blood for the use of medicines and research. Local