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the year 2013 marks the 25th world Aids day， which falls on december 1. the topic of people living with hiV/Aids was once again thrust into the spotlight in china when the government released a draft regulation on october 12， forbidding people living with hiV/Aids to enter public bathhouses.
the regulation， drafted by china’s Ministry of commerce， stipulates that public bathhouses and similar facilities including spa houses， hot spring and foot massage parlors should display conspicuous signs preventing people with sexually transmitted diseases， Aids and infectious skin diseases from accessing. Violators will be warned or could be fined as much as 30，000 yuan （$4，920）.
the draft rule has been posted on the ministry’s website for a month to solicit public opinion. As soon as it was released， heated discussion was ignited among the public. some approve of the regulation and believe that in regards to public health priorities， people living with any infectious disease， hiV included， should be encouraged against using public facilities that carry a potential for contamination. however， others criticize the regulation as discriminatory by arguing that the possibility of being infected by the hiV virus in a public bathhouse is extremely low.
PRO
Chi Mo Media commentator
Banning people living with HIV from entering public bathhouses aims to protect public health.
Admittedly， people with HIV enjoy civil rights endowed by the law， and deserve respect and equal treatment as ordinary citizens. However， they should consider the potential hazards they might bring to others as a victim of the disease.
It is legitimate to ask them to stay away from public bathhouses. In China， people with sexually transmitted diseases are forbidden in such places. It goes against the law when someone is aware of his or her sexually transmitted disease and spreads it to others on purpose. As one of the sexually transmitted diseases pinpointed by the law， HIV should also be forbidden in such public facilities.
Even though the possibility of people getting infected by the disease by sharing a bath with someone living with HIV is extremely low， it exists. Those who have skin wounds are vulnerable to the virus. Taking the regulation as discrimination against people with HIV seems to be way over the top.
con
Editorial The Beijing News
The regulation not only goes against scientific knowledge and the law， but is also a blatant discrimination against people living with HIV. It has been proven that HIV can only be transmitted in three ways， that is， through sexual， blood-borne and mother-to-child transmissions. The seemingly fierce virus can hardly survive soon after it leaves the human body， and won’t be infectious in hot water. Therefore， people with HIV won’t threaten others’ health by bathing in public bathhouses or similar facilities.
In reality， it is not possible to implement such a regulation. No one could differentiate people with HIV with their naked eyes. And the law also stipulates that the privacy of people with AIDS should be protected. Other than HIV victims themselves and their family， others won’t be able to know their illness. Under such circumstances， the regulation is only a dead letter.
People with HIV are not criminals， but have the same rights as every other citizen， including the right to enjoy public bathhouses and other public facilities. Blatantly forbidding them from entering such facilities goes against values of modern civilization， doing no good to prevent-ing the spread of HIV and only exacerbating the public’s discrimination.
People living with HIV are a vulnerable group. When making public policies related to them， the government should be prudent.
PRO
guo yuanpeng scol.com.cn
Medical experts have only theoretically verified the ways that AIDS is transmitted. But in reality there are loopholes.
Experts note that even if the AIDS virus contaminates the water， it could not survive at the average temperature public bathhouses adopted. However， will the water temperature in every public bathhouse reach the required standard？ If the temperature does not reach 56 degrees Celsius， the supposed temperature above which AIDS viruses can’t survive， wouldn’t it be a threat to others？
Another loophole is， will everyone going to the public bathhouses have intact skin？ Of course， it doesn’t matter if their skin is wounded as long as no virus was brought by people living with AIDS or if the water temperature met the required standard. What would happen in a scenario where the HIV virus was present and the water temperature was below 56 degrees Celsius？
con
Zhang Beichuan Advocate for rights of people living with AIDS
The regulation is a little ridiculous. Only when the density of HIV viruses reaches a certain level and people in the public bathhouse have a fresh wound is there a chance to transmit the disease. Last year in China， there were about 1，000 medical workers who had direct contact with people who were HIV-positive. They faced much more potential for accidental transmission. For instance， some of them were unintentionally pricked by used needles of people living with HIV. None of them got infected. Generally， only one in 300 may be infected by the HIV virus through needles， and about one out of 500 through one sexual encounter with those with HIV. The density of HIV viruses in the water of the public bathhouse is far lower than that in blood and semen. Therefore， the probability of being infected in public bathhouses can be ignored. It is not necessary to worry about sharing a bath with people living with HIV. The regulation will only exacerbate public’s fear and discrimination against people with AIDS. PRO
Wang Yuedan Medical expert
The regulation aims to regulate the whole bathing industry where some services apart from showering and bathing may cause skin wounds. For example， in the service of pedicure， knives will be used and may cause bleeding and wounds. And certain massage services may damage the skin of those who have folliculitis. HIV may be transmitted through the two ways above mentioned.
con
lun Wenhui Doctor in Beijing
Healthy people won’t get infected by HIV by talking and eating with people living with the disease. And it is also safe to share bath or swim with them. HIV viruses are fragile as they will die soon after being separated from the human body. Public bathhouses also take measures to sterilize the water. The temperature of the water will also accelerate the death of viruses.
Signs won’t effectively keep people living with HIV away. The disease cannot be diagnosed with naked eyes but has to be tested through scientific approaches. If the regulation was implemented， does it mean that everyone should go through HIV tests before going to have a bath in public bathhouses？
PRO
Ma Yupeng Yanzhao Evening News
As medical experts have said， the AIDS virus can be eliminated in 30 minutes in an environment with temperatures above 56 degrees Celsius， and intact skin is an effective protection from the virus. That means AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases are not transmitted as easily as some people assume. However， there should be no flukes in safeguarding public health. Many incidents threatening public health result from things that seem impossible to happen.
One side of the equation is certain groups’consumption freedom. And the other side is the safety of public health. If there has to be a choice， it is the former that should be compromised. No one has the right or sufficient reason to put public health at stake. And those who oppose the regulation with the excuse that it discriminates against people living with HIV is actually over exaggerating the issue.
con
Wu Shuai Beijing Morning Post
The regulation won’t help prevent the transmission of HIV， but may provoke antagonism among people living with HIV. Their rights should coexist with the safety of public health. When the government makes policies to protect public health， it should also give due respect to people with HIV/AIDS. Other than posting discriminatory signs banning them from entering， I suggest a more tolerant solution by setting up a special bathroom exclusive for people with HIV. It could allay the public’s fear while protecting the rights of people living with HIV.
the regulation， drafted by china’s Ministry of commerce， stipulates that public bathhouses and similar facilities including spa houses， hot spring and foot massage parlors should display conspicuous signs preventing people with sexually transmitted diseases， Aids and infectious skin diseases from accessing. Violators will be warned or could be fined as much as 30，000 yuan （$4，920）.
the draft rule has been posted on the ministry’s website for a month to solicit public opinion. As soon as it was released， heated discussion was ignited among the public. some approve of the regulation and believe that in regards to public health priorities， people living with any infectious disease， hiV included， should be encouraged against using public facilities that carry a potential for contamination. however， others criticize the regulation as discriminatory by arguing that the possibility of being infected by the hiV virus in a public bathhouse is extremely low.
PRO
Chi Mo Media commentator
Banning people living with HIV from entering public bathhouses aims to protect public health.
Admittedly， people with HIV enjoy civil rights endowed by the law， and deserve respect and equal treatment as ordinary citizens. However， they should consider the potential hazards they might bring to others as a victim of the disease.
It is legitimate to ask them to stay away from public bathhouses. In China， people with sexually transmitted diseases are forbidden in such places. It goes against the law when someone is aware of his or her sexually transmitted disease and spreads it to others on purpose. As one of the sexually transmitted diseases pinpointed by the law， HIV should also be forbidden in such public facilities.
Even though the possibility of people getting infected by the disease by sharing a bath with someone living with HIV is extremely low， it exists. Those who have skin wounds are vulnerable to the virus. Taking the regulation as discrimination against people with HIV seems to be way over the top.
con
Editorial The Beijing News
The regulation not only goes against scientific knowledge and the law， but is also a blatant discrimination against people living with HIV. It has been proven that HIV can only be transmitted in three ways， that is， through sexual， blood-borne and mother-to-child transmissions. The seemingly fierce virus can hardly survive soon after it leaves the human body， and won’t be infectious in hot water. Therefore， people with HIV won’t threaten others’ health by bathing in public bathhouses or similar facilities.
In reality， it is not possible to implement such a regulation. No one could differentiate people with HIV with their naked eyes. And the law also stipulates that the privacy of people with AIDS should be protected. Other than HIV victims themselves and their family， others won’t be able to know their illness. Under such circumstances， the regulation is only a dead letter.
People with HIV are not criminals， but have the same rights as every other citizen， including the right to enjoy public bathhouses and other public facilities. Blatantly forbidding them from entering such facilities goes against values of modern civilization， doing no good to prevent-ing the spread of HIV and only exacerbating the public’s discrimination.
People living with HIV are a vulnerable group. When making public policies related to them， the government should be prudent.
PRO
guo yuanpeng scol.com.cn
Medical experts have only theoretically verified the ways that AIDS is transmitted. But in reality there are loopholes.
Experts note that even if the AIDS virus contaminates the water， it could not survive at the average temperature public bathhouses adopted. However， will the water temperature in every public bathhouse reach the required standard？ If the temperature does not reach 56 degrees Celsius， the supposed temperature above which AIDS viruses can’t survive， wouldn’t it be a threat to others？
Another loophole is， will everyone going to the public bathhouses have intact skin？ Of course， it doesn’t matter if their skin is wounded as long as no virus was brought by people living with AIDS or if the water temperature met the required standard. What would happen in a scenario where the HIV virus was present and the water temperature was below 56 degrees Celsius？
con
Zhang Beichuan Advocate for rights of people living with AIDS
The regulation is a little ridiculous. Only when the density of HIV viruses reaches a certain level and people in the public bathhouse have a fresh wound is there a chance to transmit the disease. Last year in China， there were about 1，000 medical workers who had direct contact with people who were HIV-positive. They faced much more potential for accidental transmission. For instance， some of them were unintentionally pricked by used needles of people living with HIV. None of them got infected. Generally， only one in 300 may be infected by the HIV virus through needles， and about one out of 500 through one sexual encounter with those with HIV. The density of HIV viruses in the water of the public bathhouse is far lower than that in blood and semen. Therefore， the probability of being infected in public bathhouses can be ignored. It is not necessary to worry about sharing a bath with people living with HIV. The regulation will only exacerbate public’s fear and discrimination against people with AIDS. PRO
Wang Yuedan Medical expert
The regulation aims to regulate the whole bathing industry where some services apart from showering and bathing may cause skin wounds. For example， in the service of pedicure， knives will be used and may cause bleeding and wounds. And certain massage services may damage the skin of those who have folliculitis. HIV may be transmitted through the two ways above mentioned.
con
lun Wenhui Doctor in Beijing
Healthy people won’t get infected by HIV by talking and eating with people living with the disease. And it is also safe to share bath or swim with them. HIV viruses are fragile as they will die soon after being separated from the human body. Public bathhouses also take measures to sterilize the water. The temperature of the water will also accelerate the death of viruses.
Signs won’t effectively keep people living with HIV away. The disease cannot be diagnosed with naked eyes but has to be tested through scientific approaches. If the regulation was implemented， does it mean that everyone should go through HIV tests before going to have a bath in public bathhouses？
PRO
Ma Yupeng Yanzhao Evening News
As medical experts have said， the AIDS virus can be eliminated in 30 minutes in an environment with temperatures above 56 degrees Celsius， and intact skin is an effective protection from the virus. That means AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases are not transmitted as easily as some people assume. However， there should be no flukes in safeguarding public health. Many incidents threatening public health result from things that seem impossible to happen.
One side of the equation is certain groups’consumption freedom. And the other side is the safety of public health. If there has to be a choice， it is the former that should be compromised. No one has the right or sufficient reason to put public health at stake. And those who oppose the regulation with the excuse that it discriminates against people living with HIV is actually over exaggerating the issue.
con
Wu Shuai Beijing Morning Post
The regulation won’t help prevent the transmission of HIV， but may provoke antagonism among people living with HIV. Their rights should coexist with the safety of public health. When the government makes policies to protect public health， it should also give due respect to people with HIV/AIDS. Other than posting discriminatory signs banning them from entering， I suggest a more tolerant solution by setting up a special bathroom exclusive for people with HIV. It could allay the public’s fear while protecting the rights of people living with HIV.