Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 25 Jul 95
About 80,000 students from Shanghai and the central province of Henan will be given information on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and how to use condoms as part of a test run of the new strategy, said Xie Mouhong of the State Education Commission's health department.
The trial, starting with the new academic year in September will be the first time China's traditionally strait-laced colleges and universities have promoted condoms as a way to avoid catching AIDS, Xie said by telephone.
Officials hope to launch the new approach at universities and colleges nationwide in late 1995 or early 1996, he said.
Unmarried Chinese undergraduates are officially banned from having sex but social change and a gradual loosening of campus controls have in recent years allowed an increasing number of students to discreetly indulge in sexual activity.
AIDS education is sorely and urgently needed in colleges and universities, the Beijing Youth Daily said in a report on the Shanghai experiment.
It quoted a survey on the city's campuses as showing 20 percent of male students and 10 percent of women students had had sexual intercourse, adding that the young scholars were likely to become a high-risk group for AIDS.
Authorities have shied away from promoting condom use by the unmarried for fear of encouraging sexual promiscuity.
China's traditions and population policy set it apart from other nations in its approach to sex education and venereal disease prevention and teachers would continue to take morality as the starting point for their anti-AIDS work, Xie said.
China has diagnosed 1,774 people as infected with the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) that causes AIDS, but experts say insufficient reporting and misdiagnosis mean the real number of infected could be more than 10,000.
By the end of 1994, 65 of China's HIV carriers had developed AIDS and 45 had died.
950725
RE950721
Copyright © 1995 - Reuters, Ltd. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Contact Reuters.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1995. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1995. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .