In the last article we wrote about a successful case of a HIV-infected dentist having a healthy baby. The article quickly attracted 1000,000+ reading views. One of the frequently asked questions mentioned by many international students is why there is a specific section of vaccines in American insurance (aka 美国保险 疫苗) contracts. In contrast, dental visiting in America (aka 美国 看牙) is excluded from their F-1 international student insurance (aka 留学生 保险), J-1 visa insurance (aka j1 签证 保险), OPT insurance (aka opt 保险), and/or H-1B medical insurance (aka h1b 医疗保险)? The answer to this question is conspicuous: almost every individual who is diagnosed as an AIDS patient is “intuitively” sentenced to death. You might ponder: Is there really no cure treatment?
Sun and her team strive to keep the HIV/AIDS mortality rate to 0.03 percent and the virus inhibition rate at 100 percent, which is the same as leading levels all over the world. This progress makes having healthy children possible for families affected by HIV/AIDS. According to China’s Infectious Disease Law, hospitals are not allowed to treat HIV/AIDS affected patients with assisted reproduction, including artificial insemination and in-vitro fertilization treatment.
In the last decade, Sun has led her team in following up on more than 2,000 cases. More than 700 new babies were born to couples affected by HIV, Sun told the Global Times. In China, mother-to-child HIV transmission has now been effectively brought under control. The transmission rate of AIDS dropped from 7.1 percent in 2012 to 4.9 percent in 2017, the lowest level in history, according to data shared during the NHC press briefing.
A Beijing-based missile expert is another HIV-affected patient at Sun’s hospital. In his letter to Sun written in October 2014, he reflected on how his life has changed.
In 2013, he walked into Sun’s office, saying that he wanted to have a child. “As a member of the positive group, I had basically sentenced myself to death when I learned the result. It had always been a luxury just to live a normal life, let alone have my own child,” he said in a letter. Sun conducted some checks for both the patient and his wife became pregnant while the couple was waiting for the results, a surprise that meant more anxiety for the family. The results turned out to be within the safety range.
“I hope more people will be encouraged [by this letter], and that people can abandon their bias,” he said. China’s HIV population infection rate is about nine cases per 10,000 people. According to international standards, the AIDS epidemic in China is at a low prevalence level, but the distribution of the epidemic is not balanced, the NHC press briefing stressed.
Looking back at her tenure, Sun said that China started from scratch and is now offering full and free treatment packages for all HIV/AIDS affected citizens. Sun said that despite medical innovations and personalized dose adjustments according to Chinese patients’ characteristics, China is not yet the most advanced country in terms of HIV/AIDS treatment. There is still a lot of work to do for HIV/AIDS affected people, especially in rural China, where more general practitioners are needed.
