Healthlink Worldwide

CHAIN produce regional version of AIDS Action

The Chinese Ministry of Health estimates that 650,000 people in China are currently living with HIV and AIDS, and that the number of new HIV infections in 2005 reached between 60,000 and 80,000. The most alarming disclosure by the recent assessment, conducted by the Ministry of Health, the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organisation, is that the virus is no longer confined within high-risk populations such as drug users and those who sell blood, but has begun to spread quickly in the general population. The recent assessment estimates that about 200 people contracted the virus every day in 2005, indicating that the situation in China is, in the words of Henk Bekedam, the World Health Organisation's representative in China, actually “more serious than we thought.”

The lack of public information about HIV/AIDS, and the stigma and discrimination subsequently associated with the disease are possibly the biggest barriers to effective prevention, care and support. Free testing and counselling is available for those who seek it, and free anti-retroviral treatment has been offered for those who cannot afford it, but most people are ignorant of the opportunities available under the current legislation, or dissuaded to even test for HIV because of the stigma associated with it.

In 2005, with funding from the Ajahma Charitable Trust, Healthlink Worldwide provided CHAIN with technical and strategic support, including training in resource centre management. Building on this cooperation, the two organizations designed the current project, which aims to apply Healthlink Worldwide’s extensive experience in newsletter publication to the establishment of AIDS Action – China Edition, a unique source of practical, up-to-date, accurate information on HIV/AIDS and sexual health, and a platform for dialogue and information sharing.

The project began with a review of existing periodicals and materials in China relating to HIV and AIDS. The review concluded that the majority were written for an academic audience or focused upon people living with HIV and AIDS, and there was a need for a periodical aimed at organisations wanting to work on HIV and AIDS issues. An editorial advisory group, with rich and diverse experience in HIV and AIDS, was then set up to guide the newsletter content. The membership of the group consists of both local and international advisors and includes a representative from Healthlink Worldwide's partner organisation, the National Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NACWOLA) in Uganda.

Three issues of "AIDS Action - China Edition" have so far been published
- Increasing access to treatment and care (January 2007)
- Reducing stigma and discrimination (April 2007)
- High-risk behaviour intervention (August 2007)

Articles have included in-house writing, commissioned and submitted articles, and adaptations of both Chinese and international material.

Read the English synopsis of each issue

Read the Chinese text of each issue