HIV Test Kits Available for Purchase in University Vending Machines
[ Back to News Page ] Dated: 15-Sep-2024Students at a Chinese university woke up on Sunday to find a surprising new addition to their vending machines. Alongside their beloved instant noodles and soft drinks, HIV test kits were now available.
Harbin Medical University is the second university in Heilongjiang Province to offer these kits through a vending machine.
This initiative is part of a program launched by the Chinese Association of STD and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control to address HIV transmission on campus.
Expansion of HIV Testing Vending Machines
By the end of 2016, the association reported that nine vending machines had been installed across five universities nationwide.
Design and Functionality
The vending machine, while designed with a deposit drawer, resembles any other vending machine. In addition to HIV test kits, it sells snacks, cup noodles, and drinks, as observed by Xinhua reporters.
Affordable Testing
A kit is available at a discounted price of 30 yuan (approximately 4.38 U.S. dollars), significantly lower than the market price of 286 yuan.
Testing Procedure
Zhao Donghui, an HIV specialist with the Heilongjiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), explained the procedure: a test-taker purchases a kit, collects a urine sample, and deposits it in the drawer. A sensor wired to the drawer alerts the CDC staff, who then retrieve the sample, conduct the test, and post the results online.
Confidentiality and Results
Only the test-taker can access their results by logging onto the center's website and entering a specific code number. "The whole process is anonymous," Zhao emphasized.
HIV/AIDS Statistics
As of September 2016, China had 654,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), according to the China CDC. Sexual transmission accounted for 94 percent of the 96,000 new cases reported in the first nine months of the year. The infection rate has risen most rapidly among young students and retirees.
Rising Student Cases
There were 2,321 students aged between 15 to 24 who tested positive, more than four times the number reported in 2010.
Expert Concerns
Wu Zunyou, head of AIDS and HIV prevention at the China CDC, expressed concern over the rising number of new HIV cases on campus, particularly among young men. "I interviewed 100 HIV-positive students and was saddened to learn that they did not know enough to protect themselves," Wu said.
Health specialists said intervention among this high-risk group is difficult due to the taboo surrounding homosexuality and HIV/AIDS.
A student who revealed his homosexuality to Xinhua said he and his boyfriend plan to use the machine. He mentioned that he has been so cautious that he goes to the local CDC to get tested every three months.
"It is all about health, and there is nothing to be shy about," said the student, who chose to remain anonymous.
However, many on campus do not share such an open attitude toward testing.
Peng Tao, an official with Harbin Medical University, said many students may still be reticent to take the test.
A vending machine was installed at Harbin University of Science and Technology last November, but sadly fewer than ten students have used it, said Zhao, the provincial CDC official.
Peng said that as infection rates rise, the school has a responsibility to help those who want to use the machine.
He said it is as important as sex education in class.
Nigerian exchange student Akinkunmi Okekunli said it is right for students to have the means to know their health status.
He noted that at the University of Ibadan, where he came from, free testing and counseling are also available.
Health authorities said more Chinese living with HIV/AIDS are becoming aware of their status through testing.
The number of HIV tests conducted in China grew from 60 million in 2010 to 140 million in 2015.
"We can't eliminate the virus for now, but at least we can prevent it from spreading," said Wang Mengjiao, a third-year student at Harbin Medical University. "For that purpose, it is important to participate in voluntary testing."
