HIV test kit vending machines aimed at containing infections on campuses

HIV test kits are being made available in vending machines at several Chinese universities in a move to prevent the spread of the virus among college students.

The Chinese Association of STD/ AIDS Prevention and Control began to place HIV urine test kits at Harbin Medical University in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on Saturday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

According to Xinhua, the kits, costing 30 yuan ($ 4.36) each, are being sold in vending machines together with food and beverages. They are also being sold in Harbin University of Science and Technology.

There is an urgent need for universities to take action to prevent the spread of HIV since more and more university students have become infected with the virus in recent years, Peng Tao, director of the Research and Education Center in Sexual Health at Harbin Medical University’s School of Public Health, told the Global Times on Monday.

Peng added that in addition to providing tools for college students to conduct self- examinations, universities need to enhance sex education.

A student surnamed Ren at Harbin Medical University told the Global Times that many students are welcoming the school’s new move. “I will probably buy one to test myself, as regular checkups are very necessary,” said Ren.

But Ren noted that there are still many students who feel too shy to buy a kit from the vending machines.

According to China’s Disease Control and Prevention Center, sexual transmission accounted for 94 percent of the 96,000 new cases reported in the nine months last year. Young students and retirees were found to be the two groups in which infection rose most rapidly. There were 2,321 students aged between 15 to 24 tested positive, more than four times the figure in 2010.