HIV Phobia

Posted on 19 March 2010.

"Hundreds of people in China believe they might have a new disease with HIV-like symptoms," according to the BBC, "but doctors suggest their illness could be the result of a mental rather than a physical condition."

"I feel that I will die soon," one man says. "I haven't been home for a month because I don't want to infect my family. My doctors don't understand me. They say it's caused by fear, but my symptoms are real." This man has had seven HIV tests, all of which have come back negative. Such patients "come to have tests again and again. A real HIV sufferer may take 15 minutes to deal with. A patient with the phobia can take at least an hour, or as much as half a day of arguing before they go away," according to a senior Chinese HIV researcher.

Across China, there is still a lack of clear understanding of HIV/AIDS. "The biggest obstacle is that there is not enough education or publicity about AIDS. Society does not know enough about the disease, and people think you can get it just from touch, talking, shaking hands or eating together," said Deputy Health Minister Huang Jiefu (Reuters).

Reuters also reports that, "People in China living with HIV and AIDS face widespread discrimination and stigma, with even medical workers sometimes refusing to touch them." More than 40 percent of people surveyed in a new UNAIDS report said they had been discriminated against because of their HIV status. More than one-tenth said they had been refused medical care at least once. AIDS activist Yu Xuan has told the story of a friend who was refused an urgent operation because of her HIV status, and who ended up dying as a result.

According to conservative official figures, HIV cases in China number around 740,000. Of those, at least 10,000 are children infected mainly through botched blood transfusions or mother-to-child transmission. Such children "are almost invariably barred from schools and even abandoned by their parents and relatives" (Reuters).

Pray for all of those suffering from HIV/AIDS in China. May each one of them know the love of God in their lives, giving them hope and strength to stand in the midst of any discrimination and prejudice they face.

Pray for HIV positive children, particularly those who have been abandoned by relatives or barred from attending school.

Pray for those who are mistakenly convinced that they are suffering from HIV/AIDS. Pray that they might accept the truth, have peace in their hearts, and experience complete physical and emotional healing.

Pray for the Lord's strength and wisdom for Christians involved in caring for those with HIV/AIDS. May the love they show draw many to know Jesus.