Proposed bathhouse ban renews HIV rights controversy(2)

A patron of the city's foot massage shops, Liu added the ban would also shield workers in establishments from the incurable virus.

Loads of research have indicated that the spread of HIV via water in public baths is virtually impossible, according to Zhang Beichuan, a prominent Chinese AIDS expert.

"There's no need to talk about the probability of infection in this case, as transmission of the virus requires an open wound's exposure to HIV-infected blood," Zhang said.

Urine and sweat one may contact within public bathhouses do not contain HIV, said Wu Zunyou, director of the HIV/AIDS division of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Only knowledge can dispel fears. The public should be given more chances and channels to learn about the disease," said a worker surnamed Kong with Chi Heng Foundation, a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization dedicated to AIDS relief and anti-discrimination.

The ban would be removed if "it is proven that allowing HIV carriers to access public bathhouses will not cause transmission of the virus," an MOC official behind the draft regulation was quoted as saying by the newspaper Beijing News on Tuesday.

REINFORCE DISCRIMINATION

Zhang says that the rule is ridiculous because it would only exacerbate deep-rooted bias against and fear of the HIV-infected in China, as well as lead to gross misunderstanding of the disease among the public, Zhang said.

"Can we really count on the government to set up exclusive bathhouses for the infected?" he said.

Zhang's sentiment was backed by Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Peking University, who described the ban as "placing the HIV-positive in a pillory."

"The 'No Entry' signs are like boldfaced words exclaiming 'They are different from us!'" Xia said. "That would be unacceptable even if the drafter's motivation is to safeguard public health."

The rule, if adopted, would be a huge headache for bathhouse operators, who complained that the rule is "clearly impracticable."

"We can't inquire about whether a customer has acquired HIV. That's their privacy. By the way, we have never heard of a single case of our customers getting infections here," said a manager at a century-old bathhouse in Xicheng District of Beijing.