Chinese Lives

On Tian Ya, the hottest grass-roots bbs, HBV (Hepatitis B) discrimination has been on for a while. With more and more HBV patients cried for equality in receiving education and jobs, the supporters, both patients and healthy people also expressed their hope that Chinese government could pass a law to forbid HBV discrimination.

People outside China may not be able to imagine how HBV patients fell biased in every aspect of life. For starters, children with the virus were normally refused entry into kindergarten or even elementary school. When they grew up, they would miss university for the same reason. For some lucky stars who made to the university, they met huge obstacles in finding a good job. All of these originated from health check, which was compulsory as a basic standard that schools and companies use to fail the incompetent ones.

How many HBV patients do China have? Acording to offical figures, 10% the population were HBV patients or the virus carriers. Most patients fell virused in the decades between 1960s and 1990s, when hygiene standards fell in hospital by reusing syringe on patients, especially on Children. These were the main reason for the HBV spread in China. With hypodermic syringe was enforced to use, the number of HBV comparatively remained unchanged for a couple of decades.

HBV patients were discriminated for a long time. I remember when I was young, my mother always shouted at me if I stayed a moment near the HBV patients in hospital. Though, I doubted a lot whether they were discrimintaed as badly as present, because my parents had colleagues keep working with the disease, while now you would lose the job if your health check showed your weakness.

I read this post tonight. It was by a 34 year old HBV man, who was really bad in keeping jobs and money. He did really well at his first job with a newly start company. But he was found out, and fired. And ten years later, the company became big in the industry and many his former colleague turned senior directors, so that he really felt unfair. What’s more worse, because of his disease, he had to change jobs often. Ten years’ time passed, and he made no career or money. In deep disappointment, he threatened that he would bombard China’s every land, and kill thousands, and curse the country.

His unusual post was replied by many. HBV responders shared their experience and urged the government to have pity on the 10% unhealthy population. They just could not understand why HBV was more biased than HIV, since HIV patients could get government funding for medication, while HBV patients were forced to give up their right for education and working.

Some responders showed their sympathies. They said, now that HBV vaccine could bring safe protection for most people, the society should stop the discrimination. Also, they raised examples that living with HBV patients with no separation did not necessarily make healthy people get HBV. So, the panic on HBV was overstated probably by hospitals or medicine companies to raise their prestige or profit.