China: More than half of kindergartens rejecting HBV carriers: NGO

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More than half of kindergartens rejecting HBV carriers: NGO

Global Times | September 02, 2011 02:43

By Zhang Xiulan

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rgartens-rejecting-HBV-carriers-NGO.aspx>

More than half of domestic kindergartens are examining children for

Hepatitis B (HBV) despite such examinations being against regulations,

according to an NGO report released Wednesday.

Beijing Yirenping Center, an NGO that provides legal services to victims of

discrimination in China, issued the report titled " Hepatitis B

Discrimination in Kindergarten 2011 " after a sample survey of about 40,000

nursery schools in Chinese mainland.

According to the report, it is difficult for children with HBV to enter

kindergarten because more than 60 percent of the nation's kindergartens

violate State regulations and examine kids for HBV during entrance medical

checkups.

More than 30 percent of kindergartens refused to accept HBV carriers and

more than half of them hold negative or ambiguous attitudes on the issue,

according to the report.

The 20,000 word report was delivered to the Ministry of Education and

Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday.

In 2010 the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of

Education and Ministry of Public Health issued a notice forbidding

examining children for the virus or denying admission to those with it.

The organization suggested authorities launch an inspection and severely

punish kindergartens found to have broken the regulation.

The mother of an HBV infected child, surnamed Ai, in Henan Province, told

the Global Times that she had the same problem when choosing kindergartens

and are seeking schools that accept HBV carriers without a checkup.

" We reported kindergartens that reject children with HBV to local health

bureaus and education departments in Shangdong, Jiangxi and Shaanxi

Provinces but have received no reply, " Lu told the Global Times.

The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education have yet to

respond to the report.