In 2002, students infected with HIV/AIDS in Guangzhou reflected 0.74 percent of the total infected population in the city. (Photo : Reuters)
Guangzhou's local government continues it campaign for HIV/AIDS prevention. According to an article by China Daily, an educational action plan that aims to promote HIV/AIDS prevention has recently been released by the local government to curb rising infections among local youth.
According to the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been a total of 231 HIV/AIDS-related cases in Guangzhou since the discovery of the first HIV infection among students in the city back in 2002.
The action plan, which was posted on Monday, Nov. 9, aims to raise awareness about the disease. The center announced that the plan will be carried out until 2018.
In 2002, students infected with HIV/AIDS in Guangzhou reflected 0.74 percent of the total infected population in the city. The numbers increased by 3.91 percent in 2014, causing major alarm among parents, teachers and local officials.
Wang Ming, director of Guangzhou CDC, shared with Guangzhou Daily that the rise might be attributed to the spread of the disease beyond the city's general population of drug users.
According to Wang, sex between males account for three-quarters or 172 of the 231 registered HIV/AIDS cases among students in the city.
The action plan also states that over 5,000 local students are involved in high-risk sexual behaviors, which include sex between males, the low rate of condom use, group sex and drug abuse, among others.
Although students are forthcoming and regularly participate with voluntary checkups, their knowledge about HIV/AIDS still needs to be improved to meet national standards.
Records from Guangzhou CDC show that 92.8 percent of Guangzhou's student population base their knowledge about HIV/AIDS on data gathered in 2014. The percentage falls short of the 95 percent requirement imposed by the central government.
Through the action plan, secondary schools, vocational schools and universities in Guangzhou are now required to provide courses on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. Government education and social security departments will perform random spot checks every year to gauge whether the action plan is successful or otherwise.
