Feature: Community Program Helps HIV Prevention in Xinjiang

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 03, 2002

Feature: Community Program Helps HIV Prevention in Xinjiang

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In a local epidemic prevention station near Urumqi, the capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, three drug addicts were telling a team of Chinese and foreign experts about how their community helps to protect them from HIV and AIDS.

"They are constantly telling us about how HIV is transmitted, how to prevent transmission, as well as about the dangers of taking drugs," a male addict told the team. The interview took place at an AIDS intervention pilot center set up as part of a joint Australian government/World Bank HIV/AIDS prevention and care project. The team of experts is in Xinjiang to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

"The local community shows great concern for our lives, warning against syringe-sharing and educating us about the AIDS epidemic. There has been no discrimination against us," a female addict said.

"I learned about the dangers of AIDS from booklets handed out by volunteers and from blackboards in public places. Since then, I often go to the community center for health advice in order to seek support for kicking my drug habit," another addict told visiting Australian Ambassador to China, David Irvine.

A volunteer with the surname of Ma said that, through mobile publicity activities, the dissemination of information materials and consultations, residents know much more about AIDS and fewer addicts are sharing syringes.

Madam Zhang, a member of the local residential committee, said that the work of the committee is focused on changing the behavior of drug addicts, improving their understanding of a healthy lifestyle and reducing the risk of HIV infection.

The pilot community has established a center with video equipment for volunteer training and HIV/AIDS education. In line with the ethnic and religious characteristics of this region, religious leaders are playing an important role in educating people about HIV prevention.

According to the assessment carried out by the team, social workers as well as volunteers have improved their skills, drug users know more about HIV/AIDS prevention and care, and the local population has demonstrated a change in attitude, with a marked reduction in discrimination towards HIV carriers.

Wang Shaohua, deputy director of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Health Department, said the experience here will be introduced to other communities, and with international support as well as multi-sectoral capacity building, the region's HIV/AIDS prevention effort will bear more fruits.

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