Villagers' threats turn to praise for dedicated country doctor
Source: Xinhua |
December 2, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOR more than 14 years, Yin Zuluan has been working as a doctor in Guangsong Village in southwest China, visiting her HIV-positive patients and raising the awareness of the villagers about how to control the deadly virus.
The village in Yunnan Province borders the Golden Triangle, an area where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet, and where vast fields of poppies grow as ingredients for heroin-based drugs.
"Because of the uncontrollable drug abuse, many drug addicts have been infected with HIV, and many children have been orphaned as their parents died of AIDS. They need me," Yin said.
Among the 3,000 villagers in the village, 76 tested HIV-positive, with another 5 percent refusing to be tested, she said.
The Ministry of Health says that, since the 1980s when the disease first emerged in China, the total number of registered AIDS patients and HIV carriers has surpassed 370,000, with more than 130,000 being AIDS patients.
In 2004, Guangsong Village was selected for a pilot program, and Yin's job was to perform HIV tests on each villager and help with interventions to prevent others from becoming infected. The job was never easy.
"Many villagers could not understand us when we first started testing. They threatened me with knives, and even let out their dogs to attack me when I came," Yin recalled.
"I just went and went and went," she said. "For 17 times I went in one case."
After her continuous efforts and government support, the villagers gradually changed their attitude and even made friends with her, she said.
"There was one HIV infected villager, the one I went to visit 17 times. Now we get along quite well. He later got married and had a baby. His wife and his kid are both HIV negative," Yin said.
An infected villager surnamed Tan said Yin was the savior of his family.
He caught the virus after sharing needles with other drug users, and his pregnant wife became infected. But now, thanks to Yin, they are receiving treatment and their year-old baby is HIV negative.
"She cares about us, and she always tries whatever she can to help us," Tan said.
In March this year, Yin was awarded the Barry and Martin's Prize, an English award for excellent work in AIDS prevention, treatment and care.
Lu Lin, head of the Yunnan provincial center for disease control and prevention, said what Yin was doing represented the future direction of China's battle to fight AIDS.
"Yin has represented the crucial role model of the community-based HIV and AIDS control and prevention, which is essential for China in the long-term battle against AIDS," Lu said.
"If we want to succeed in fighting the disease, communities and villages are our main battleground," he said.
The village in Yunnan Province borders the Golden Triangle, an area where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet, and where vast fields of poppies grow as ingredients for heroin-based drugs.
"Because of the uncontrollable drug abuse, many drug addicts have been infected with HIV, and many children have been orphaned as their parents died of AIDS. They need me," Yin said.
Among the 3,000 villagers in the village, 76 tested HIV-positive, with another 5 percent refusing to be tested, she said.
The Ministry of Health says that, since the 1980s when the disease first emerged in China, the total number of registered AIDS patients and HIV carriers has surpassed 370,000, with more than 130,000 being AIDS patients.
In 2004, Guangsong Village was selected for a pilot program, and Yin's job was to perform HIV tests on each villager and help with interventions to prevent others from becoming infected. The job was never easy.
"Many villagers could not understand us when we first started testing. They threatened me with knives, and even let out their dogs to attack me when I came," Yin recalled.
"I just went and went and went," she said. "For 17 times I went in one case."
After her continuous efforts and government support, the villagers gradually changed their attitude and even made friends with her, she said.
"There was one HIV infected villager, the one I went to visit 17 times. Now we get along quite well. He later got married and had a baby. His wife and his kid are both HIV negative," Yin said.
An infected villager surnamed Tan said Yin was the savior of his family.
He caught the virus after sharing needles with other drug users, and his pregnant wife became infected. But now, thanks to Yin, they are receiving treatment and their year-old baby is HIV negative.
"She cares about us, and she always tries whatever she can to help us," Tan said.
In March this year, Yin was awarded the Barry and Martin's Prize, an English award for excellent work in AIDS prevention, treatment and care.
Lu Lin, head of the Yunnan provincial center for disease control and prevention, said what Yin was doing represented the future direction of China's battle to fight AIDS.
"Yin has represented the crucial role model of the community-based HIV and AIDS control and prevention, which is essential for China in the long-term battle against AIDS," Lu said.
"If we want to succeed in fighting the disease, communities and villages are our main battleground," he said.
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