_In the mid-1990s, some rural areas of China
witnessed the rise and spread of HIV caused by the practice of
entrepreneurs buying blood donations from farmers without ensuring
minimum safety standards. Subsequently, up to 60 per cent of village
dwellers fell ill, mostly women and men earning income for their
families. Many of them have died of AIDS already.Children
are amongst the most severely affected group; though mostly not
infected with HIV themselves, they are often left alone after their
parents’ deaths, unable to make a living or afford school.
