On the morning of November 30, a giant anti-AIDS symbol, the red ribbon, appeared on Beijing's landmark architecture, the "Bird's Nest."
The red ribbon hanging ceremony in the National Stadium was sponsored by the State Council AIDS Working Committee Office and the Ministry of Health, with assistance from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Beijing AIDS Working Committee Office.
UNAIDS released a research report today showing that, according to a survey conducted among 6,000 people in China's six cities, social discrimination against AIDS still exists. The public still lacks knowledge about AIDS. Those who are more sexually active have insufficient understanding of the risks of contracting AIDS.
Mao Qun'an, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said, "Currently, public discrimination against those infected with HIV and AIDS patients is still one of the major obstacles to AIDS prevention work. The red ribbon on the Bird's Nest demonstrates China's resolution to fight AIDS, especially to eliminate discrimination against AIDS."
According to Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS, AIDS is spreading worldwide and it is admirable that the Chinese government has taken such inspirational action to show the world its leadership in controlling AIDS.
By People's Daily Online
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