MEDICAL students ponder the question: Are two condoms better than one?

　　That question and others were recently posed to students at the Medical School of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in an effort to better educate health professionals who have misconceptions on HIV-AIDs, and harbor prejudice.

　　(The answer is no because friction between the two condoms could cause a break.)

　　The lecture and question session was one of the several events on November26 organized by two student clubs at the university, the Association of Peer Education for AIDS and the Health Industry Association.

　　“I feel sad to learn that some HIV carriers are still facing discrimination at hospitals and some medical staff are still reluctant to attend AIDS patients ,”said Liao Yue, a senior medical student in dentistry and president of the peer education association.

　　“So I figured that if we, the future doctors, could view AIDS rationally and correctly, there will be less discrimination and more care for AIDS patients in the near future.”

　　The Association of Peer Education for AIDS was founded in 1998 and has more than 50 student members. It works in middle schools, high schools and residential communities in Shanghai. Last year they talked about AIDS prevention at Shanghai Wu‘ai High School, Shanghai Qinghua Middle School and Luoshan Residential Community.

　　This year the focus is medical students. The slogan is “Antidiscrimination, anti-ignorance.”

　　On November 26, many young would be doctors had their photos taken while they held signs reading, “I will treat AIDS patients equally with-out discrimination.”

　　The medical students also heard from Professor Huang Yanping from Renji Hospital and Bu Jiaqing from Shanghai Jing’an District Youth HIV-AIDS Prevention Center (also known as Shanghai Qing‘ai), a NGO working among gay groups.

　　Professor Huang discussed how medical staff could better protect themselves against HIV, while showing respect to patients and giving proper treatment. Bu Jiaqing discussed the negative effects of discrimination on AIDS patients.

　　According to a recent study by Beijing Ditan Hospital, it is hospitals where AIDS patients suffer the most discrimination. Lacking proper awareness and knowledge, many medical staff discriminate against AIDS patients or refuse to treat them.

　　Safe sex is a major focus of volunteer work since the risk of HIV infection among college students has caused concern in recent years.

　　According to the Ministry of Health,9,514 young people aged from 15 to 24were reported to be HIV-infected in the first 10 months of 2012, an increase of12.8 percent over 2011.