Impacts of HIV/AIDS on poor and socially marginalised former commercial plasma donors in rural central China: social work implications

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of HIV/AIDS on people who acquired the virus through former commercial plasma donations in the mid-1990s in rural Central China. The objective of this study was to examine socioeconomic impacts associated with HIV/AIDS on poor farm workers and their families, with a particular focus on economic hardships and social exclusion. The findings from 30 interviews reveal the profound effects of deteriorating health on labour power loss. The well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS was immensely affected by the loss of income, debts due to health-related expenses and a lack of alternate sources of income. Social exclusion and HIV/AIDS-related stigma remain significant issues in a workplace, funerals, and weddings. This article highlights the economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on China’s rural population and provides recommendations for social workers to mitigate the impacts of social exclusion on vulnerable rural households in China.

既有文献对于上世纪九十年代中期中原地区因有偿采供血而感染艾滋病群体的相关研究很少。本文旨在探究艾滋病对这些贫穷农民和其家庭的社会经济影响，着重考察其经济困境和社会排斥的状况。通过对30位受访者的访谈，本文发现艾滋病病患者不断恶化的健康状况对其家庭劳动力损失产生了深远影响。收入减少、医疗支出导致的债务增加和替代性收入来源的缺乏，都严重影响到艾滋病群体的生活状况。在工作场所、葬礼和婚礼等相关社会活动和交往中，社会排斥和对艾滋病的污名化仍旧是一个很严重的问题。文章最后强调了艾滋病对中国农村人口的经济影响，并就社会工作者如何减少脆弱农户的社会排斥提出了针对性建议。

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS
• social work
• rural central China
• former commercial plasma donation
• labour power loss
• social exclusion