With a population in excess of 120 million, those living with the virus that causes Hepatitis B (HBV) constitute a considerable proportion of China’s population. Yet they still face day-to-day discrimination in employment. Although HBV and HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) can only be spread through the direct exchange of bodily fluids, HBV is widely believed in China to be a contagious disease that can spread through daily contact at school or in the workplace. As such, HBV and HIV carriers are often subject to overly broad regulations and policies that prohibit individuals with “infectious diseases” from industries, jobs or schools, even though their health status would pose no risk to others. Employers routinely screen prospective employees with HBV tests as a condition of employment. According to a 2011 survey of 180 state-owned enterprises, 61 percent of enterprises conduct screening for HBV and 35 percent of the enterprises stated that they would reject job candidates with HBV.
The discrimination against people with HBV probably stems from a fear of Hepatitis A, which can be fatal and is spread much more easily than Hepatitis B, and a lack of public knowledge regarding the distinction between the two Hepatitis viruses. This lack of knowledge is made worse by the flood of scaremongering advertisements for “cures” for and products providing protection from HBV. A similar lack of public education exists regarding HIV: even a Peking University professor has argued that HIV positive individuals should not be teachers since “the immunity of students under 18 may not be strong enough to resist the virus.” A 2007 study showed that 48.8 percent of the Chinese population and 65 percent of employers surveyed believed that people with HIV do not deserve equal employment rights.
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歧视乙肝病毒和艾滋病毒的工人