An 8-year-old boy with HIV who was asked to leave his village in Sichuan province by residents last year has started a new life at a school for children with the condition.

The boy, nicknamed Kun Kun, contracted the virus from his mother.

He was admitted to a primary school near his home village of Shufangya in Xichong county in December after media reported that about 200 people signed a petition asking him to leave the village.

The villagers later clarified that the petition was intended to obtain better treatment and teaching for Kun Kun.

Now the youngster has been moved to Linfen Red Ribbon School in Shanxi province after he and his grandparents agreed to the switch.

"I think it is a good destination for him," said Du Xiong, deputy head of Xichong's publicity department. "The local government has provided tuition fees and subsidies for him.

"Most of the children in the primary school are healthy, and Kun Kun found it difficult to integrate there. He should have a better life at Linfen Red Ribbon School."

In addition to attending class, Kun Kun receives treatment for his condition from a school nurse, according to a staff member who declined to give his name.

The school only enrolls children with HIV or AIDS, and currently has 29 students, he said. Kun Kun is in the first grade and is older than most of the other students, who are 6 or 7.

"He initially behaved improperly due to a lack of preliminary education, but is making progress," he added.

The youngster has been given free treatment since he was diagnosed in 2012, and he receives a monthly subsidy from the local government in Xichong. The payments were raised from 678 yuan ($109) to 1,130 yuan a month in November, according to a statement released by the county's information office.

His parents are away from the village and could not be contacted, the statement said. The local government will intensify its efforts to educate the public and eliminate fear and discrimination resulting from HIV/AIDS, it added.

Last year, 104,000 new patients were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS across the country, a 14.8 percent increase compared with 2013, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

China has introduced a number of policies to combat HIV/AIDS and prevent it from spreading.

But Li Xin, an expert on infectious diseases at Beijing Ditan Hospital, said the number of AIDS patients has increased in recent years. Many people do not know enough about the disease, and this causes unnecessary fears, Li said.

"More publicity and education is needed to prevent and control HIV," he said.

wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 04/09/2015 page5)