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AIDS: Surprising New Statistics

Lisa Thompson — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:00:10 +0000

AIDS and HIV is a worldwide epidemic. Last year there were 70,000 new cases recorded on mainland China and although most of these new cases were intravenous drug users, sex workers and their clients, the virus has begun to spread among the general population. China’s representative to The World Health Organization, Dr. Henk Bekedam stated, “China’s HIV infections have been linked to high-risk behavior. But now, sex work is moving it toward the general population,” making unprotected sex the newest means for the virus’ spread throughout China.

China’s Health Ministry, the World Health Organization and the United Nations AIDS agency jointly released new statistics stating a reduction in the number of HIV/AIDS cases citing previously erroneous data gathering, but warned that there was “no room for complacency.”

These new figures report that at the end of 2005, six hundred and fifty thousand people were living with AIDS/HIV on China’s mainland, a figure that two years earlier had been reported at 840,000. The sharp decrease in these figures, the agencies agree, was mainly due to an overestimation in 2003 of commercial and plasma donors affected by the virus. Vice Health Minister Wang Longde clarified that, “The lower figures do not mean the epidemic situation in China has improved.” Dr. Bekedam concurred stating that with roughly 200 new infections every day the situation in China is “more serious than we thought” as he called for greater HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in China, additional free testing and treatment for HIV-positive people.

Joel Rehnstrom, UNAIDS China country coordinator, explained that the previous data was overestimated because most of the 2003 data had come from a small number of areas where there was a preexisting high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. He said that now, with better data collection methods and more in-depth knowledge about the most at-risk populations, this new estimate was much more accurate.

Wok Carefully – Chinese Restaurants Dish Up Heavy Amounts of Sodium

Lisa Thompson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:00:33 +0000

A recent study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, titled Wok Carefully, found that many of the items on menus at Chinese restaurants in the United States contain enough sodium for an entire day or more. Researchers also found that although a number of menu items were high in fat, most of the fat came from heart-safe, trans-fat-free vegetable oils.

An order of four BBQ spareribs, with 600 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, and 900 mg of sodium was the unhealthiest appetizer in Chinese restaurants, according to the researchers. Lemon chicken has 1,400 calories and 13 grams of saturated fat, and orange beef has 1,500 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 3,100 mg of sodium. Shrimp dishes fare a little better, with Szechuan shrimp and shrimp with garlic sauce each having about 700 calories, and shrimp with lobster sauce with 400. But no matter the caloric content, all of the dishes contain far more than the recommended daily allowance of sodium.

CSPI director of nutrition Bonnie Liebman recommends that people “Stick with the veggie-rich and stir-fried shrimp or chicken dishes, steer clear of the entrées that are basically deep-fried meat or chicken in sauce, and don’t waste your calories on greasy noodles and fried rice.”

Other recommendations including skipping soup, which has enormous amounts of sodium, and asking for sauces to be served on the side, and for vegetables and meat to be lightly sautéed rather than deep fried.

Countdown to Safety on Trial in Shanghai

Ted Masterson — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:00:06 +0000

Shanghai police set up countdown timers next to traffic lights over the weekend in an attempt to curb drivers from running red lights, a habit that is far too common in the city.

The timers were prompted by a statistical report distributed in January of this year showing that fatalities from drivers’ failing to yield to red lights has risen 300% in the last year.

Shanghai has an enormous pedestrian and bicycle population with traffic officers citing pedestrians for walking against the light during hours of congestion in the busiest intersections. Being American, I was raised with the idea that the pedestrian got the right of way, always. And it makes sense to me. Pedestrians are more likely to be hurt and are therefore less likely to cut off a car by walking in front of it (at least that’s the way it is back home). But, in Shanghai, it seems the rules are quite opposite. We do a lot of walking and we take a lot of taxis. Everybody believes they have the right of way. The cars have the right of way, the pedestrians have the right of way, the scooters and bicycles have the right of way. There seems, to my Western mind, no system to the madness. I walk when everyone around me walks, a regular sheep in the herd… and I live to walk another day.

I cannot describe the chaos of the roads but am grateful that the municipal government is willing to recognize that something needs to change. Until I see rules of right-of-way being enforced and abided by, by the drivers, the walkers, and the bicyclists I’m going to stick to my comfortable ride with my friendly neighborhood taxi driver. These taxi drivers are some of the best drivers in the world, and though the ride may be scary at times, I am always confident that my driver will get me safely to my destination.

Police admit that more needs to be done but assure us that they have already seen an obvious reduction in the number of drivers running red lights at the four trial intersections and believe that this trial is proving itself effective. The intersections, Huaihau and Danshui, Jinling and Chongqing, Jiangning and Changping as well as Changshou and Changhua roads have also been equipped with traffic cameras and more cameras have been set up throughout the city.

It’s a great start and I applaud the effort. I like that the countdown screens for drivers are up by the light and large enough to get drivers’ attention. Shanghai is a wealthy city and I believe these timers are worth the cost with the support of police enforcement. Something had to be done. Now, let’s train the rest of the city how to drive in cooperation rather than in competition.

Forget Murders and Muggings, China Tackles Spitting and Littering

Ted Masterson — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:00:40 +0000

I’m not going to pretend that murder and muggings are a small consequence against modern life and living, but in China those two things are few and far between, especially as they pertain to foreigners. When it comes to public hawking of fat, phlegmy loogies and dropping trash in public places, well, us expats find it a bit offensive. Fear not, however, the campaign against them has already been launched.

If you’ve already been to China in the past five years, or if you’ve been to a less sophisticated town in the past week or so, you have at least a pretty good idea what I’m talking about. You might meet a nice, sweet, demure young lady who intrigues and entices you with her language skills and western sensibilities, only to find five minutes later that she harfs up a nasty, three ounce package of mucous and drops it on the floor between you, even if you’re in a nice restaurant or on the grounds of a well protected historic palace… Wow man, that’s nasty.

Please check out the full-resolution images for this article by clicking here.

But the government has already begun their crack down on it. It’s not a crime, precisely, it’s more of a matter of sophistication, and one that hadn’t even been considered within the PRC until ten to fifteen years ago. Now it’s largely banned, and not just because it offends us rare and seldom passing foreigners, but also because, well, it is a health concern.

Not just in restaurants but on sidewalks and in other public places, the hearty pulling with horrifically fantastic consequence is all too common in China. What the government is doing to curtail this social and health concern is wider and more sweeping than you might think. Clearly marked patrols have been deployed in major cities to issue costly citations to those committing the atrocities against social society, and the impact is as clear as it is immediate. The sidewalks are no longer slick with the phlegm of the potentially sick citizens of the town.

These patrols even offer handy little bags into which one is encouraged to spit, assuming the reflex cannot be helped. The second problem, and it’s truly the second problem by rank, is littering, which leads poorly from the bags, which are all too often found lying about willy-nilly.

It’s a step in the right direction and one which didn’t even have to be requested, which makes it all that much better. I don’t know about you, but I’d ten times rather spot a spit bag on the curb even knowing it’s laden with a dozen or so wads of bodily coagulum than simply walk all over them.

Rising Risk of Cancer Among Shanghainese Women

Lisa Thompson — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:00:14 +0000

The rate of cancer among women in Shanghai is rising, due to poor diet, obesity, and smoking. According to the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Centre, the number of women with cancer has almost doubled in the past two decades.

According to the Centre’s findings, one out of every 100 women in Shanghai has cancer, and 56% of cancer patients are women. Breast cancer accounts for 30% of the cases, while cervical and ovarian cancers are also common.

A recent survey has shown that fewer than half of Shanghai women have had a physical in the past five years, 27% have poor diets, 23% are overweight, and 29% never exercise.

About Shanghai Enters Into Syndication Agreement with PerplexingTimes.com

Staff — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:00:06 +0000

Ever since our inception we’ve always been on the lookout for new, interesting and fresh perspectives on events, attractions and reviews of and about Shanghai in any way we’re able to find and foster them. As of this week, we’ve entered in to an exciting contract with perhaps the most unique of all outlooks on the matter of visiting Shanghai. We’ve reached an agreement with the junior proprietors of Perplexing Times and we could not be more excited.

We’ve already published more than a handful of articles from junior journalist Brendan Alexander on the matter of visiting Shanghai, but we didn’t have final agreement and we knew it was only a matter of time before our rights expired and we would lose our ability to publish the very best of his works, unless we made him a sweet enough offer.

As of yesterday we have reached this agreement and we are now in contract to publish each and every last article from syndicated columnist Brendan Alexander in regards to his trip to Shanghai and surrounding areas, even including several previously unpublished articles.

If you are considering visiting Shanghai with children in tow, this series is a true “must read” set of articles on the subject, and if you’re already living in Shanghai with your children, these stories will ring as true and invaluable as any.

Shanghai is a city like no other in the world, and visiting or living there with children should not be a daunting prospect by any means. The experience will surely be different than living back home, but yours is likewise as different. This is nothing to be afraid of, but embraced. This can be a new era of life changing endeavor for you and your career as much as it can for your children and their careers as, well, children.

For everything you need to know about having and rearing children in Shanghai, look no further than Brendan Alexander’s humorous parenting advice column written from a child’s perspective, than Perplexed in Shanghai.

His definitive book on the matter is forthcoming, but in the meantime, you need look no further than this column to learn everything you could ever want to know. After all, we all live vicariously through our children, and this can be the best shot they will ever have at effortlessly being celebrities.

“A white baby? Isn’t that strange?” Not to us, but to a billion of them, yes it is. Stay tuned for insight and enlightenment.