Shanghai Daily

A survey by Central China's Hubei Province's Disease Control Center has revealed that only 40.79 percent of government officials in the province have a basic knowledge of AIDS, according to a China News Service report of October 16.
Ignorance breeds indifference, fear and discrimination, all of which are unfavorable, or even detrimental, to AIDS awareness and prevention campaigns.
When it is government officials who are in the dark over even elementary questions about AIDS - such as how the virus is transmitted - the situation is even worse.
Obviously, the public in Hubei Province needs to be educated about the disease.
A survey last year showed that only 53.4 percent of urban respondents and 42 percent of rural respondents believed HIV carriers had the right to continue to work or to study. When asked whether they were willing to keep in touch with a HIV-positive relative or friend, 64.2 percent of the surveyed urban residents said yes while more than half the rural respondents said no.
How can the government officials educate the public when they themselves are not informed? And how can they be trusted to combat the disease and protect AIDS patients and HIV carriers?
A lot of work needs to be done to make a change. And it needs to be started from the top.