The language barrier, specifically inability to speak Putonghua, is the reason why Tibet is vulnerable to the spread of HIV and AIDS despite efforts by NGOs to educate residents.
While the number of HIV-positive Tibetans are going up yearly, many residents of major Tibetan regions in Gansu, Qinghai, Suchuan and Yunnan Provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region do now know what AIDS is or realize it is fatal, said Chupal Sangpo, deputy director of an NGO in Sichuan dedicated in educating Tibetans about HIV.
However, the Sichuan Provincial Health and Family Planning Commission said that as of end of 2015, new HIV cases in Tibet went down for the fifth straight year, while 77,000 people diagnosed as HIV-positive received treatment in the past 12 months.
But the proportion of cases caused by sexual transmission went up in recent years. For instance, 87 percent of HIV-positive people got the virus through sex, of which 12.5 percent were males who had sex with men, reported Global Times.
Most of the information materials are written in Chinese instead of Tibetan language. The communication problem, coupled with some centers leaking the personal information of some AIDS patients have caused misunderstanding amid rumors about the ailment, said Sangpo. One rumor is that people with HIV/AIDS would be thrown inside iron cages and immolated.
However, in February, TeachAIDS and the Central Tibetan Administration produce a culturally and linguistically appropriate HIV education materials for Tibetans. It was released to time with Losar, the Tibetan New Year, reported the Central Tibetan Administration.