Desolate AIDS orphans are a major problem in China, often shunned, isolated and deprived of the contact that children need.
A little boy, an AIDS orphan, was sent to a children's shelter in Yunnan Province - but the uneducated staff was so terrified that workers put him in a separate room with no contact with other children.
Such lonely AIDS orphans in China are generally rejected by society and uneducated child care workers who fear infection. Health officials and private groups are trying to remedy that and provide education.
AIDS experts who know about the limits of transmission say infected children should be treated just like other kids.
With staff education and information about HIV transmission, that little boy may have companionship - some staff have undergone education. But staff are worried about children's fights and cuts and bloody noses.
Children orphaned by AIDS is a serious problem in China. They number at least 80,000. The figure is expected to rise to about 200,000 by 2010.
To address this problem, the China Charity Federation this week organized its first training seminar on HIV/AIDS for over 100 staffers at child welfare facilities.
"This seminar is aimed to equip them with HIV/AIDS knowledge and to help them treat children affected by HIV/AIDS the same as other kids," said Liu Hongwei, an official of the federation.
About 20,000 AIDS orphans live in welfare facilities or adoption centers where staff generally lack knowledge about AIDS, transmission, self-protection and child education.
Nurse Feng, who attended the education seminar, said her Yunnan facility had set aside one room for the infected child alone. Three village women were hired to take care of him around the clock; he was always separated from other children.
"Staffers fail to take care of the children out of fear. We hope to help them overcome fear via education," said Liu.
(Xinhua)