China has a large tuberculosis epidemic and is at the doorstep of a devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic. We need to act now to deal with the growing threat these diseases pose to the people, development and economic growth of China.
The Chinese government is already doing a lot – they have quadrupled the funding for HIV/AIDS prevention in 2004 and pledged to provide free HIV advice and testing, as well as free treatment to people living with the disease. They also have a very active and successful national TB programme. However, these are complex epidemics that are difficult to address and finding innovative ways to tackle them is essential. This is why we have worked with the Chinese government to start a public-private partnership which aims to curb the spread and impact of these diseases. The partnership, called the China Health Alliance, is being formally launched this week.
The China Health Alliance is a groundbreaking initiative that has the support of the Chinese Ministry of Health and brings together a number of companies, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations in a joint effort to respond to the growing economic and social threat of HIV/AIDS and TB in China. The initiative is led by the Global Health Initiative of the World Economic Forum and will focus on running TB and HIV/AIDS programmes in the workplace, reaching out to millions of people.
Despite its progress in implementing public programmes for TB and HIV/AIDS, China continues to rank second in the world in total TB infections and is slated to have the highest growth in HIV infections in the coming decade with 10 million HIV/AIDS infections projected by 2010 according to UNAIDS. Addressing these threats is a priority for China as a whole.
In particular, Chinese migrant workers are heavily at risk of contracting TB and HIV/AIDS. Recent figures show that people from rural areas account for 80% of China’s cases of TB. With the heavy influx of migrant workers relocating from rural areas to cities and urban developments, curbing the large-scale spread of TB is an immense challenge.
Curbing TB infection is made more difficult by the fact that the infection rate for TB is linked with that of HIV/AIDS – TB is an opportunistic disease that preys on weakened immune systems. HIV erodes the immune system and increases the likelihood of people acquiring new TB infections. This makes TB the leading killer of people infected with HIV in most countries. Moreover when more people have TB, the risk of it being passed on to those around them is greater. A dangerous vicious cycle of infection is the outcome – HIV fuels TB and TB fuels more TB.
Yet TB and HIV are both preventable diseases. TB can be successfully treated even in patients infected with HIV. There is no cure for AIDS, but it can be treated. It is important to educate people about this and connect them to the professionals who can help them.
To address the threat these diseases pose to migrant workers, the China Health Alliance will be running workplace programmes directly targeting them. These programmes will be jointly run by participating companies, the government and NGOs. By pooling resources, all organizations involved can greatly increase the reach and scale of the programmes they are providing and can ensure larger numbers of people are touched.
A core focus of these programmes will be to address the issue of workplace discrimination for people suffering from these diseases. People are often reluctant to seek testing and treatment as they are concerned about the potential negative impact it could have on their employment or social standing. All companies involved in the China Health Alliance are ensuring their internal policies protect their employees from discrimination in the workplace. This is a major step to reducing the stigma attached to these diseases.
Founding members and partners of the China Health Alliance currently include: Accenture, Becton Dickinson, China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), Constella Futures, Esquel, Institute of Contemporary Observation, iKang, Karstadt Quelle, Marie Stopes International China, Pfizer, Social Accountability International, Swire Beverages, UNAIDS, UNDP, World Health Organisation and World Vision International.
In addition to running workplace programmes for their own employees, a number of companies have committed to extending these programmes to employees of their suppliers and distributors. This new approach will kick off with a pilot programme in the Guangdong province this autumn where it is estimated to reach up to 5 million people. Once scaled up in other provinces, this approach has the potential to significantly contribute to the fight against TB and HIV/AIDS.
The business sector plays a critical role in the fight against TB and HIV/AIDS and the China Health Alliance provides a practical framework for companies to get involved and make a difference. Protecting employees from the ravages of these diseases makes good business sense and more companies need to step up to the pledge. Several pioneering Chinese companies have already signed up and we urge others to do the same – the more companies that get involved, the greater the impact of this initiative will be.
For more information on how to join the China Health Alliance, please visit the World Economic Forum website (www.weforum.org) and go to the Global Health Initiative section or contact Regina Wenzel, Global Leadership Fellow, Project Manager (GHI), China Health Alliance at regina.wenzel@weforum.org or Pan Pan, Global Leadership Fellow, Project Manager (GHI), China Health Alliance at pan.pan@weforum.org .
Francesca Boldrini is director of the Global Health Initiative.
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