Most Chinese Aware of AIDS But Fewer Than One-Third Know How To Prevent HIV Transmission, Survey Says
Fewer than 33% of people living in large cities or small towns in China know how to prevent HIV transmission, according to a study conducted by the European Futures Group and Horizon Research, China Daily reports. The survey, administered to 6,835 adults with various educational backgrounds living in selected cities and towns in China, also showed that a majority of Chinese adults are aware of AIDS; approximately 93% of city-dwellers and 82% of those living in small towns said they had heard of AIDS, according to the survey. However, only 31.5% of those in the city and 23.5% of those in small towns knew that condoms could protect against HIV. China Daily did not indicate when the survey was administered. Cheng Feng, project manager of the China-U.K. HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Project, said, "The reason for the lack of knowledge concerning AIDS transmission and protection is the lack of media [information] and a fear of AIDS" (Zhang, China Daily, 9/23). Of the Chinese residents surveyed, approximately two-thirds said they would help care for a relative with AIDS. However, attitudes regarding HIV-positive family members "varied" depending on how the virus was contracted, with those contracting HIV through a blood transfusion receiving "greater understanding" than those who contracted the virus through sexual contact (Agence France-Presse, 9/23). As of June, China's Ministry of Health estimated that approximately 850,000 Chinese people are HIV-positive (China Daily, 9/23).
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