Shame of discrimination

Ignorance and selfishness are the culprits for the discrimination against a child with AIDS.

More than 200 villagers signed a letter, asking the local government to take a 8-year-old boy with HIV out of the village for treatment so that they would not be infected with the virus.

The boy, in Xichong county of Southwest China's Sichuan province, was staying with his grandparents after his parents left home when he was still a baby. He was born with the virus but not diagnosed until 2012.

The United Nations's system in China released a statement on Friday expressing concern for the boy being discriminated against and stigmatized by local villagers. And the National Health and Family Planning Commission has asked the local government to do a good job in taking care of him.

While the villagers fear that the virus might spread to their children, and even themselves, might be understandable, what should not be tolerated is the lack of education about HIV/AIDS that has led to their fear.

It is such fear that results in rumors such as people living with AIDS attack innocent people in public with a syringe filled with their own blood with the intention of spreading the virus to others.

Although such rumors have been proved false, it would not be impossible for an AIDS patient to do so when he or she is reduced to desperation by discrimination and stigmatization. So narrowing down the social space for people with HIV/AIDS to lead a normal life by discriminating against them may probably backfire.

It is no small matter to raise awareness so that everyone knows that HIV virus is not contagious through contact, HIV among adults is spread mainly through unprotected sex or sharing injection equipment such as needles with someone who has HIV.

Discrimination deprives people with HIV/AIDS the dignity to lead a normal and decent life.

It is equally important for people to have the awareness that care and sympathy for people with AIDS/HIV makes a difference to the quality of their lives as they themselves can easily lose confidence in life and shut themselves out from the society.

The discrimination against the boy with AIDS in this small village should serve as a wake-up call that there is still much to be desired when it comes to HIV/AIDS awareness, particularly in the less developed parts of the country.

It is costly to take it for granted that all should know about how to get along with people with HIV/AIDS.