China has
witnessed a dramatic surge in intravenous drug use and a
concurrent rise in AIDS cases in the mostly Muslim region of
Xinjiang, The
New York Times reported over the weekend.
Xinjiang, a
region of about 20 million people near the border with
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, has approximately 60,000
officially documented HIV infections. It contains 10%
of China's AIDS cases and has the highest HIV
infection rate in the country. Public health experts dispute
official figures, insisting that actual HIV/AIDS
figures are much higher and rising quickly.
Until recently,
drug addicts were left to law enforcement and denied
proper medical care. The widely held perception of illicit
drug use as a moral or legal concern rather than a
true public health issue has prevented those in need
from getting necessary treatment.
"Some cadres are
not willing to launch a public campaign against AIDS,
fearing it would affect their image and investment in their
locality," said Parhat Halik, deputy commissioner for
Kashgar Prefecture in Xinjiang, in a speech in June.
"Some are still having endless debates about whether
to promote the use of condoms, methadone treatment and
needle-exchange programs, or standing in the way of
initiatives to work with high-risk groups. That is our
biggest problem in the fight against AIDS."
Since 2005,
however, authorities in Xinjiang have implemented a variety
of approaches from needle exchanges to drug substitution and
community outreach programs. These new progressive
tactics, coupled with Beijing's recently opened gay
men's sexual health clinic, demonstrate how China has
finally begun to take significant action in fighting the
AIDS epidemic. (The Advocate)
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