Chinese authorities say there are a million HIV-positive people in China — and that they expect a tenfold increase over the next ten years.
What’s more frightening is, Chinese authorities have a nasty habit of seriously underreporting bad news.
Without some measures to control the problem, China could find itself tomorrow in the same situation many parts of sub-Saharan Africa are in today. Little Botswana suffers a 38% infection rate, thanks to poverty, lack of education, and promiscuity.
China has a “good” education system, but one more geared to instilling “proper” Communist and nationalistic virtues than teaching the Three Rs. While China is certainly a lot richer now than it was just 20 years ago, having to care for a lot of very sick people — in the midst of a growing banking crisis — could be more than the economy can bear.
And while I don’t know anything much about Chinese sexual mores, I can tell you that a country with a surplus of millions of single men (with no prospect for marriage) will see a lot more risky sexual behavior. Of both the hetero and homosexual varieties.
They have an interesting medical and demographic problem here. I wonder what they’ll do about it?
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