The Fight Against HIV/AIDS: Building Awareness in China

Abstract

The first case of HIV in China was diagnosed in 1985 in a dying foreign tourist. Since then the virus has spread in the country via different transmission methods. Although an overall low prevalence trend with a number of regions showing a higher prevalence (Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Henan, Guangdong, Xinjiang, Chongqing, Guizhou, Hunan, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Beijing), the reports in 2017 show a growing number of new infections, especially among the young. China has been actively involved in the fight against the virus since the early 2000s, training people, moving funds and giving space for NGOs to perform actions on most heavily hit sites, but the increase in new infections shows that these methods are not enough and that hardships are still present for the creation of comprehensive strategies that can tackle the root causes of the epidemic, such as education, stigma and discrimination, avoidance in the use of condom and an overall low HIV awareness. This thesis aims at describing the critical aspects of HIV epidemic in China, describing the overall situation and the risk groups characteristics, also analyzing the problems that derive from stigmatization and isolation of people living with HIV. Tools such as social marketing, health communication and the mainstreaming of HIV are described to suggest a view on existing approaches to fighting health-related issues, finally identifying the role of organizations and that of the government in the fight against the HIV epidemic.