8-year-old learns on his own after parents' fears about transmission of virus are eased

An 8-year-old boy with HIV in Shufangya, Sichuan province, has been admitted to a primary school after media reported that 203 of the village's 900 residents had put their red thumbprints on a petition last week demanding he should leave.

"Kun Kun (the boy's nickname) has started attending a primary school not far from his home after the local government persuaded the school to accept him. He returned to his home in the village after school," said He Chun, chief of the county health bureau.

As many in the school did not know how HIV was contracted, parents were very concerned and pledged to transfer their children to other schools once Kun Kun enrolled.

"They calmed down after we assured them that the AIDS virus can be contracted through blood, sex and sharing of needles but not from a handshake or a meal with a patient," He said.

As Kun Kun had not received any formal education, the school had to assign a teacher to coach him alone. "He will be a member of a class in grade one after he adapts to the school. The process may take two or three months," said school principal Zhang Xiaokai.

The teacher, Xie Hao, teaches Kun Kun Chinese, math and games.

"He is restless and can focus on what I teach for only five minutes. It took me a long time to teach him to count from one to 10. But he shows a keen interest in games such as playing ball and building blocks," Xie said.

In addition to providing an education, the local government has pledged to give Kun Kun the right to medical treatment and a living allowance. It has assigned a psychological counselor to help him each week.

Liqiao township, which administers Shufangya village, started giving 600 yuan ($96) a month to support Kun Kun in 2012. "Since last month, it has been raised to 1,137 yuan," He said.

When his mother was three months pregnant she started living with a young migrant worker from Shufangya village, according to He.

"The young man took the woman to his home village, where she gave birth to Kun Kun in 2006, and he became his father," He said.

In 2011, Kun Kun fell and injured his eye. Doctors treating him found he was HIV positive. "A doctor said he had been infected with the AIDS virus before he was born," said his 68-year-old grandfather, who has been caring for him as the parents work in cities and have not seen Kun Kun for a number of years.

"As Kun Kun has no blood relationship with his grandfather, the old man does not think he can rely on Kun Kun when he is old. He does not want to be Kun Kun's guardian," He said.

The grandparents offer him food and lodging. When villagers put their thumbprints on the letter, he did the same as Kun Kun looked on. The grandfather said he and his wife were afraid of contracting the AIDS virus, too.

Kun Kun is too young to understand what his grandfather and other villagers did, but adults are afraid he will hate and hurt them intentionally by biting them when he grows up as nobody plays with him.

huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 12/25/2014 page5)