An eight year old boy has been shunned by his community as he suffers from HIV. Over 200 villagers from his hometown in Sichuan Province have demanded that authorities remove the boy and treat him in isolation.

Kunkun’s relatives found out in 2011 when he was in hospital in a nearby county. Doctors informed them that he had been born with the infection. When his community found out about the diagnosis, the boy was expelled from school and shunned by the community.

“He is a time bomb,” said one villager: “What if kids are touched or bitten when playing with him?”

No-one in the family except Kunkun’s mother knows the identity of his biological father- Kunkun’s mother and step-father met when she was already pregnant. Shortly after the boy’s birth, they both left home. Their current whereabouts is unknown.

Although Kunkun is apparently unaware of the virus, he feels the effects of being ostracized by his community. He was quoted in a local newspaper as saying “No-one wants to play with me.”

Local authorities have stated that they will start ‘ideological work’ on the villagers as it’s clear that levels of HIV awareness and education are woefully low.

Lack of HIV tolerance and awareness is a nationwide problem, with many communities living under misguided fears of infection from casual contact.

Source: Shanghai Daily

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Keywords: Villagers Shun 8 year old HIV patient