Early Control Strategies
Initially, the Chinese government focused its preventive strategies on stopping HIV from entering the country. Regulations were introduced that required foreigners who intended to stay 1 year or more and Chinese residents returning from overseas to have an HIV test. All imported blood products were banned. There were attempts to stop transmission within the country as well – e.g., laws against drug use and prostitution were strengthened and authorities were allowed to isolate HIV-positive individuals. The hazards related to uncontrolled illegal collection of blood and plasma were realised in 1994 after an outbreak in blood donors, and countermeasures were initiated. In much the same way as in other countries, traditional public health methods of containment and isolation of infectious disease cases proved ineffective. Containment policies occurred in the context of rapid social and economic change, in which there were increases in drug use and changing sexual mixing patterns. These early policies did little to stop transmission of HIV; in fact, they probably promoted concealment of risk activities and made identification of HIV reservoirs more difficult.
Read more about this topic: HIV/AIDS In China, History
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