电子版已出：Global Times的关注- This free lunch gets them love

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感谢这伟大的时代，让我们一次次见证千奇百怪的奇迹

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千百度360

顶顶顶！！！

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霍克

Chu Cao holding the banner that carries a lunch invitation and information on HBV. Photo: Courtesy of Chu Cao
By Liu Sheng
When Chu Cao held up one of the most unusual lunch invitations representing a kind of a banner revolt, on Nanjing shopping street couple of months ago, few could fathom her angst and anger. Chu's invite was more an appeal: urging people to eat with her, a Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) carrier, and discovering nothing's really wrong with sharing a lunch with HBV carriers. This was Chu Cao's desperate and novel attempt to become a part of this society.
Accompanying Chu Cao were other HBV carriers, all imploring passers-by to join them for this free lunch and thus yoke off the tag of "untouchable" that they have been stuck with.
China, with all its remarkable and swift march into a modern and equal society, is still wedged in some anathemas; HBV being one of them. People continue to believe any proximity with HBV carriers can lead to the spread of infection in them. Most HBV carriers in China face social and work-place discrimination and have no promise yet of a volte-face on this attitude.
It is this belief and attitude that Chu Cao and her team members want to weed out from people's minds. In fact, the name Chu Cao means "weeding out" in Chinese. Chu Cao and her fellow HBV carriers now go under the name of Chu Cao Popularizing Science Group, set up in 2009, with an aim to rid the society of this stigma.
With support of HBV carriers nationwide, the group has held a series of activities inviting passers-by to enjoy a free lunch with them in Shanghai and other cities, and is planning to make a short film about HBV carriers this year.
Chu Cao's war
For Chu Cao, the 31-year-old HBV carrier, life has been an endless struggle after her medical condition was no longer a secret. She set up the Chu Cao Popularizing Science Group after finishing her study in Japan. "I had no choice but went abroad for further education because of HBV discrimination, and I do hope now my fellow HBV carriers can study in our motherland rather than be forced to learn or live abroad," said Chu Cao.
"In foreign countries, HBV carriers are never discriminated or segregated because their citizens have a right understanding about HBV" said Chu Cao.
It was with the hope to dispel a few myths about HBV and also create the right perception about the disease that Chu Cao decided to come back and put up a lone fight. It is not easy for a girl to hold a HBV banner on street and invite strangers to lunch by disclosing her very private and sensitive problem.
But slowly, as the group began to frequent Nanjing Road with their unique protest tactics, they began to be surrounded by passers-by in less than a minute. "Once I was so nervous that my legs were even trembling," said Chu Cao. To her surprise, people showed great support and encouragement. "A girl in her twenties even pulled me aside and told me she was so impressed that she would like to take me out for lunch instead!"
Spreading the word around
Not just in Shanghai, Chu Cao and her group are reaching out to people of other cities too. With their unique proposal, the group attracted attention and sympathy in Hangzhou, Nanjing, Beijing and Guangzhou too. Lei Chuang, another famous fighter and member of the group, told the Global Times, "Once when we are holding such an activity in Nanjing, on a heavy rainy day, a stranger suddenly showed up near us with a packet of fries and shared it with us." Not just him, there was a girl too who shared the same straw with Chu Cao in order to show her support, Lei recalled.
"We were so moved that all of us cried that day," Lei told the Global Times.
In Shanghai, the group members were able to get eight passers-by to have lunch together, though one of them just kept chatting and didn't eat anything. "We understand that he may still be skeptic about us but that is precisely why we are here," said Lei. Till now, the Chu Cao Popularizing Science Group has held more than 10 activities nationwide, inviting several hundred strangers for a free meal.

霍克

HBV scare
Why and how did HBV carrying people turn into taboo elements of society? While Hepatitis B is a viral infection that is transmitted through contact with the blood or other bodily fluids (semen) of an infected person, thus damaging the liver slowly, even leading to death, the HBV carriers are not in potentially dangerous situations.
The Hepatitis B carriers are people who have Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) in the blood for more than six months. According to China Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of them have no symptoms and are unaware of their status as Hepatitis B carrier; and they do not feel or look sick and seldom suffer from any health problems associated with Hepatitis B.
"People who are not exposed to HBV or other body fluids like semen are not at risk for catching Hepatitis B," said Zhan Miao, the attending surgeon of hepatology from Ruijin Hospital, "The risks of contracting hepatitis B in a work environment are less, and most people are able to clear the infection without undergoing treatment."
Reasons for this scare
Though work-place interactions and day-to-day life routines does not transmit HBV, most people are still sacred of it, even to the extent of not mentioning it. The reasons are historical and go way long back into the country's employment policies. Both government and private companies created a mandatory Hepatitis B check on would-be employees to maintain a healthy workforce. This practice, though rooted in half-baked knowledge about the disease, put the scare of HBV among common people. When people began to be discriminated during recruitment, the fear of HBV increased further. Once branded as HBV infected or HBV carrier, life became tough for these people.
University biased too
Chen Zhiqiang, who is married to Chu Cao, is also a HBV carrier. He was rejected twice by a famous university though his score was much higher than other students. When he finally graduated with a Master's degree in an ordinary university, he was again turned down by some famous research institutions. "It felt like a knife thrust into my heart," said Chen. Simply because he is a HBV carrier, he was rejected by more than 10 companies in the next few years. "At the lowest point of my life, I even contemplated killing someone as a revenge against the society, but I held it back because of my old parents. How could I ever face my parents? "
Without other options, Chen had to pursue his Ph.D in Japan, paying through his nose, where he met Chu Cao and got married. "We chose to go abroad not because we don't love our country, but because our motherland doesn't love us HBV carriers. Too many discriminations in the society leave us with no educa-tion and work opportunity," said Chen.
Marriage killjoy
To a certain extent, Chen is lucky because he does not face any pressure from his wife since she too is a HBV carrier. But for Sky (not his real name), love is a luxury he cannot enjoy. Afraid of losing his loved one, he hid his HBV carrier identity from his girlfriend. This relationship went on smoothly until Sky plucked up the courage to reveal his medical condition just before they planned to get married. "To my surprise, my girlfriend didn't say anything and was supportive with both of us promising to take care of each other lifelong." However, Sky's future parents-in-law raised a hell, even claiming that Sky would get liver cancer as he aged. "We kept explaining and fighting for almost half a year, but still faced this discrimination." His girlfriend finally broke up with him because her parents asked her to choose between Sky and them. "I was really desperate and decided never to enter into a relationship without telling the girl and the family about my HBV condition."

霍克

Other HBV carriers
Similar agonizing stories of discrimination in love and career are aplenty. While the idea of killing people as a revenge against the society only hit Chen's mind, Zhou Yichao really did it. In 2003, as a fresh graduate from Zhejiang University, Zhou Yichao successfully passed all the civil service examinations and interviews. However, he was finally turned down as he was a HVB carrier. Extremely hurt by this unfair treatment, Zhou thrust a knife at a female civil servant creating a sensation nationwide. When he was sentenced to death, more than 300,000 people expressed their condolence on his Internet graveyard. "It's a pity that he lost life for HBV. Such irrational action needs to be stopped, and by expressing our condolence, we do hope to evoke people's sympathy and understanding about this tragic discrimination," said Lei.
Individual efforts
Besides inviting strangers to have lunch, HBV carriers are trying to attract the society's attention in various ways. Lei, who is with Chu Cao in her mission, is a 22-year-old graduate from Zhejiang University. He decided to fight this discrimination in 2007 when his brother was rejected by a company because he was a HBV carrier. In order to verify if the Final Food Safety Law Implementation Measures, which don't explicitly ban HBV carriers from work in the catering industry, really works, Lei applied and finally received the first health certificate after a long-drawn argument with local health bureau. "It was a memorable day," said Lei, "Although China has launched many laws to protect HBV carriers, discriminations still exist universally," he added.
In 2006, famous Hong Kong actor and singer Andy Lau admitted he has been a Hepatitis B virus carrier since childhood and also revealed he goes to the hospital for check-ups every three to six months and strictly follows his doctor's advice, and stays healthy.
Discriminations in employment continue to exist and individuals are continuing their struggle against it. Ling Xiao, a 29-year-old HBV carrier applied to Eurofins for a job. After three round of interviews, Ling received an offer letter where the HR stated that if he passed the physical examination, the work contract would be signed. However, when he took blood test in the appointed hospital and was tested as HBV carrier, the HR of Eurofins informed the job offer stood canceled. Confused, Ling asked his friend to call the company to check if the position was still vacant. It turned out that Eurofins were still recruiting for the same position. "I have filed a lawsuit and will fight till the end," Ling said.

霍克

Hepatitis B fact-file
What is Hepatitis B?
Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) which infects the liver and causes an inflammation called Hepatitis.
How does Hepatitis B spread?
Hepatitis B is spread when blood or other body fluid of an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected. People can become infected with the HBV during activities such as the following:
Birth (spread from an infected mother to her baby during birth)
Sex with an infected partner
Sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipments
Sharing items such as razors or toothbrushes with an infected person
Direct contact with the blood or open sores of an infected person
Exposure to blood from needle sticks or other sharp instruments
How to prevent Hepatitis B?
Besides taking care of the above points, the best method to prevent Hepatitis B is to get the hepatitis B vaccine. Hepatitis B vaccine, usually a three-dose series, is recommended for all children 0-18 years of age. It is strictly recommended for infants during birth in the hospital.
Till the end of 2009, there were over 280 million Hepatitis B carriers around the world, and about 130 million of them are in China, according to the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. The huge number of HBV cases in China is probably the result of widespread use of shared syringes in hospitals across China during the 80s.

霍克

Government gets into action
政府在心动
As a high HBV infected country, China has put several laws and health precautions in motion this year.
作为hbv高度传染的国家，中国今年已经实施多部法律和健康保护的法规。
The government has planned to vaccinate the entire population of China under 15 who have not got immunity against this disease. This project would be completed within three years. China has also introduced laws against discrimination in order to protect the HBV carriers.
In February 2010, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education jointly issued a notice to further clarify that companies can no longer require candidates to be tested for hepatitis B as a requirement for employment, and civil servants no longer have to undergo hepatitis B tests as part of their pre-employment examination.
Besides, any local discriminatory policies against hepatitis B patients should be amended or abolished within 30 days. According to Mao Qunan, the spokesman of Ministry of Health, "it would be unfair to impose restrictions on people who are carrying signs of hepatitis B infection."
"It is a really an inspiring and encouraging policy for people like us!" a netizen nicknamed Jiu Buding told the Global Times, who is one among the several HBV carriers in China, networking and sharing problems on the website www.hbvhbv.com/english, devoted specially to this unprivileged group. The website was started by a person called Lao Mai, himself a HBV carrier.

[ 本帖最后由 霍克 于 2010-5-13 21:50 编辑 ]

chuiyanniaoniao

好强大，不过我一看英文就犯晕