'PLEASE PAY ATTENTION' TO HEPATITIS C

[Guest guest]

http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Beijing2008/2008/08/15/6460606.html

'PLEASE PAY ATTENTION' TO HEPATITIS C

Lone man markets message during Olympics

By THANE BURNETT, Sun Media

BEIJING — Tibet is not the only game in town.

For days now, Ten Xiaojun has stood beside a major street in Beijing — in the

heart of the Olympic venues and under the watchful eye of security officials —

and held up his placard, hoping to get noticed.

Ten, a 30-year-old from Hunan Province — a plane flight away — believes Chinese

officials should be doing more to educate the public on the perils of

contracting Hepatitis C.

His hand-made sign — penned in red and in both English and Chinese — reads: " The

Hepatitis C is as dangerous as the AIDS. Please pay attention to it and control

it if you have the ability. "

Ten contracted Hep C during a tainted transfusion following a car accident about

nine years ago.

He believes he has infected his wife, but is afraid to have her tested. If she

is found positive, said Ten, she likely would not accept the reality of the

infection.

" I want the government to pay attention, " said Ten, standing on the street here

Friday, next to Olympic pin traders.

He said he knows Chinese leaders take the problem seriously, but wants them to

push education even further among the population.

But his message could as easily have been for the athletes as well.

Australian competitors have been warned about getting an Olympic tattoo while

here, even if it's to celebrate a medal victory.

It's a tradition among many athletes to have the rings of the Games inked in the

host city. However, Hepatitis Australia has a campaign to warn Olympians the

practice " seriously risks " the transmission of blood-borne diseases.

" It's only natural our athletes will want to remember their achievements by

getting a tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but tattooing involves risks which

many people don't realize, " the organization's chief executive, Helen Tyrrell,

told Australian media.

Both Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through needles used by tattoo

artists.

On the Beijing street, a passing Chinese doctor applauded Ten's campaign, but

said the government is trying hard to educate the people.

" It's not a problem getting the message out in the cities, " said the doctor, who

declined to be named. " It's more in the rural areas, where there is a lack of

resources. "

As Ten complained that he's sent a letter to Chinese leaders, but has not gotten

an answer back, the doctor told him there's a proper bureaucratic process the

sick man should use to push for more government attention on Hep C.

In the last figures available, an estimated 41 million people in China had

contracted the hepatitis C virus in 2004 — killing 280,000 people here annually,

according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Doctors here have a long history of developing new methods of treating the

chronic blood-borne infection, often combining western and traditional Chinese

medicines.

World-wide, one in 12 people have chronic hepatitis B or C.

[Guest guest]

http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Beijing2008/2008/08/15/6460606.html

'PLEASE PAY ATTENTION' TO HEPATITIS C

Lone man markets message during Olympics

By THANE BURNETT, Sun Media

BEIJING — Tibet is not the only game in town.

For days now, Ten Xiaojun has stood beside a major street in Beijing — in the

heart of the Olympic venues and under the watchful eye of security officials —

and held up his placard, hoping to get noticed.

Ten, a 30-year-old from Hunan Province — a plane flight away — believes Chinese

officials should be doing more to educate the public on the perils of

contracting Hepatitis C.

His hand-made sign — penned in red and in both English and Chinese — reads: " The

Hepatitis C is as dangerous as the AIDS. Please pay attention to it and control

it if you have the ability. "

Ten contracted Hep C during a tainted transfusion following a car accident about

nine years ago.

He believes he has infected his wife, but is afraid to have her tested. If she

is found positive, said Ten, she likely would not accept the reality of the

infection.

" I want the government to pay attention, " said Ten, standing on the street here

Friday, next to Olympic pin traders.

He said he knows Chinese leaders take the problem seriously, but wants them to

push education even further among the population.

But his message could as easily have been for the athletes as well.

Australian competitors have been warned about getting an Olympic tattoo while

here, even if it's to celebrate a medal victory.

It's a tradition among many athletes to have the rings of the Games inked in the

host city. However, Hepatitis Australia has a campaign to warn Olympians the

practice " seriously risks " the transmission of blood-borne diseases.

" It's only natural our athletes will want to remember their achievements by

getting a tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but tattooing involves risks which

many people don't realize, " the organization's chief executive, Helen Tyrrell,

told Australian media.

Both Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through needles used by tattoo

artists.

On the Beijing street, a passing Chinese doctor applauded Ten's campaign, but

said the government is trying hard to educate the people.

" It's not a problem getting the message out in the cities, " said the doctor, who

declined to be named. " It's more in the rural areas, where there is a lack of

resources. "

As Ten complained that he's sent a letter to Chinese leaders, but has not gotten

an answer back, the doctor told him there's a proper bureaucratic process the

sick man should use to push for more government attention on Hep C.

In the last figures available, an estimated 41 million people in China had

contracted the hepatitis C virus in 2004 — killing 280,000 people here annually,

according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Doctors here have a long history of developing new methods of treating the

chronic blood-borne infection, often combining western and traditional Chinese

medicines.

World-wide, one in 12 people have chronic hepatitis B or C.

[Guest guest]

http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Beijing2008/2008/08/15/6460606.html

'PLEASE PAY ATTENTION' TO HEPATITIS C

Lone man markets message during Olympics

By THANE BURNETT, Sun Media

BEIJING — Tibet is not the only game in town.

For days now, Ten Xiaojun has stood beside a major street in Beijing — in the

heart of the Olympic venues and under the watchful eye of security officials —

and held up his placard, hoping to get noticed.

Ten, a 30-year-old from Hunan Province — a plane flight away — believes Chinese

officials should be doing more to educate the public on the perils of

contracting Hepatitis C.

His hand-made sign — penned in red and in both English and Chinese — reads: " The

Hepatitis C is as dangerous as the AIDS. Please pay attention to it and control

it if you have the ability. "

Ten contracted Hep C during a tainted transfusion following a car accident about

nine years ago.

He believes he has infected his wife, but is afraid to have her tested. If she

is found positive, said Ten, she likely would not accept the reality of the

infection.

" I want the government to pay attention, " said Ten, standing on the street here

Friday, next to Olympic pin traders.

He said he knows Chinese leaders take the problem seriously, but wants them to

push education even further among the population.

But his message could as easily have been for the athletes as well.

Australian competitors have been warned about getting an Olympic tattoo while

here, even if it's to celebrate a medal victory.

It's a tradition among many athletes to have the rings of the Games inked in the

host city. However, Hepatitis Australia has a campaign to warn Olympians the

practice " seriously risks " the transmission of blood-borne diseases.

" It's only natural our athletes will want to remember their achievements by

getting a tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but tattooing involves risks which

many people don't realize, " the organization's chief executive, Helen Tyrrell,

told Australian media.

Both Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through needles used by tattoo

artists.

On the Beijing street, a passing Chinese doctor applauded Ten's campaign, but

said the government is trying hard to educate the people.

" It's not a problem getting the message out in the cities, " said the doctor, who

declined to be named. " It's more in the rural areas, where there is a lack of

resources. "

As Ten complained that he's sent a letter to Chinese leaders, but has not gotten

an answer back, the doctor told him there's a proper bureaucratic process the

sick man should use to push for more government attention on Hep C.

In the last figures available, an estimated 41 million people in China had

contracted the hepatitis C virus in 2004 — killing 280,000 people here annually,

according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Doctors here have a long history of developing new methods of treating the

chronic blood-borne infection, often combining western and traditional Chinese

medicines.

World-wide, one in 12 people have chronic hepatitis B or C.

[Guest guest]

http://winnipegsun.com/Sports/Beijing2008/2008/08/15/6460606.html

'PLEASE PAY ATTENTION' TO HEPATITIS C

Lone man markets message during Olympics

By THANE BURNETT, Sun Media

BEIJING — Tibet is not the only game in town.

For days now, Ten Xiaojun has stood beside a major street in Beijing — in the

heart of the Olympic venues and under the watchful eye of security officials —

and held up his placard, hoping to get noticed.

Ten, a 30-year-old from Hunan Province — a plane flight away — believes Chinese

officials should be doing more to educate the public on the perils of

contracting Hepatitis C.

His hand-made sign — penned in red and in both English and Chinese — reads: " The

Hepatitis C is as dangerous as the AIDS. Please pay attention to it and control

it if you have the ability. "

Ten contracted Hep C during a tainted transfusion following a car accident about

nine years ago.

He believes he has infected his wife, but is afraid to have her tested. If she

is found positive, said Ten, she likely would not accept the reality of the

infection.

" I want the government to pay attention, " said Ten, standing on the street here

Friday, next to Olympic pin traders.

He said he knows Chinese leaders take the problem seriously, but wants them to

push education even further among the population.

But his message could as easily have been for the athletes as well.

Australian competitors have been warned about getting an Olympic tattoo while

here, even if it's to celebrate a medal victory.

It's a tradition among many athletes to have the rings of the Games inked in the

host city. However, Hepatitis Australia has a campaign to warn Olympians the

practice " seriously risks " the transmission of blood-borne diseases.

" It's only natural our athletes will want to remember their achievements by

getting a tattoo of the iconic Olympic rings, but tattooing involves risks which

many people don't realize, " the organization's chief executive, Helen Tyrrell,

told Australian media.

Both Hepatitis B and C can be transmitted through needles used by tattoo

artists.

On the Beijing street, a passing Chinese doctor applauded Ten's campaign, but

said the government is trying hard to educate the people.

" It's not a problem getting the message out in the cities, " said the doctor, who

declined to be named. " It's more in the rural areas, where there is a lack of

resources. "

As Ten complained that he's sent a letter to Chinese leaders, but has not gotten

an answer back, the doctor told him there's a proper bureaucratic process the

sick man should use to push for more government attention on Hep C.

In the last figures available, an estimated 41 million people in China had

contracted the hepatitis C virus in 2004 — killing 280,000 people here annually,

according to the Chinese Ministry of Health.

Doctors here have a long history of developing new methods of treating the

chronic blood-borne infection, often combining western and traditional Chinese

medicines.

World-wide, one in 12 people have chronic hepatitis B or C.