China: Return of syphilis as men rely on prostitutes

[Joanne98]

The Times January 13, 2007

Return of syphilis as men rely on prostitutes

An increase in single Chinese men visiting prostitutes has contributed to a resurgence of syphilis in China, a disease that had been all-but eradicated from the country 30 years ago.
A study published in The Lancet indicates that the number of syphilis cases in China increased to 6.5 per 100,000 people in 1999 from less than 0.2 per 100,000 in 1993.

When the Communist Party took power in 1949, China was suffering one of the biggest syphilis epidemics in history and the Government began a prolonged campaign to eliminate sexually transmitted diseases.

By 1964, syphilis had become rare and was virtually absent for the next 20 years. The study linked the disease’s re-emergence to economic reforms and globalisation.

“These changes have led to income gaps and a cultural climate that favours re-emergence of prostitution due to a substantial majority of men and a large migrant population of male workers,” the report says.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2544970,00.html

Capitalism is BAD for moral values.

[rockymountaindem]

1. More positive effects...

of the one child policy and the cultural preference for boys. :sarcasm:

[Joanne98]

7. The same thing happened to Russia after they got capitalism

and they didn't have a one child policy. It's called UNEQUALITY.

[rockymountaindem]

8. Russia has had population problems ever since

the end of WWII, which killed 25 million of their people. The 20th century hasn't been kind to them. I wouldn't blame Russia's demographic crisis on capitalism, as it has roots much farther back in their history than 1991.

[madrchsod]

2. 1 out of 10 men in china will not find a wife

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25689-2544501,00.html
China faces population imbalance crisis - World - Times Online

[sam sarrha]

3. it is a LOT LOT LOT worse than that...!!

[ckramer]

35. and 51% of the US women are living alone, how about that?

What a strange world.

[sam sarrha]

4. Mao died of syphlis.. that is why he did weird stuff before he died..

[NNadir]

9. I always thought it was because he was a homicidal freak.

What diseases explain Stalin's behavior?

[rockymountaindem]

10. Stalin was abused as a child

In addition, he was a paranoid maniac who was terrified by his own regime and even his closest associates. Furthermore, as a foreigner who entheustiacally embraced what Lenin might have called "Great Russian chauvinism", he had reason to hate pretty much every non-Russian ethnic group in his empire.

He was a piece of work, alright...

[NNadir]

11. Oh. It was child abuse. I always thought it was because he was a criminal.

This reminds me of a joke.

Fritz Houtermans, the physicist, left Nazi Germany and went to the Soviet Union. He went to a party and someone told a joke about Stalin. Houtermans giggled.

They threw Houtermans into a frozen prison cell, beat him, nearly starved him to death and broke all his fingers.

Houtermans went back to Nazi Germany and later worked on the German nuclear weapons program.

Regrettably, there is a lot of child abuse in the world. Very few abused children grow up to be Stalin.

[rockymountaindem]

12. I was kidding about the child abuse

Although Stalin was permanently deformed by injuries sustained at the hands of his father, I think the abuse pales in comparison to the personality traits I mentioned above. He would have been equally bad regardless, because he was extremely paranoid.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. You think maybe the paranoia had its roots in the abuse.

Kinda easy to be distrustful of the world when your first significant experiences of it involve getting the shit kicked out of you by a parent.

[rockymountaindem]

16. Maybe

But it could have come from lots of places. Lenin turned violently against the system when his brother was hanged for being involved in a plot against the government when Lenin was a teenager. He had a nice family life. Hitler was beaten so badly once by his dad that he urinated blood for over a week. Still, he kept a picture of his mother with him at all times until the day he died. There are all kinds of events that push people over the edge, but we can't ignore the fact that so many people have the same problems and turn out just fine. I don't think it excuses any of their murderous actions.

[NashVegas]

34. That Doesn't Mean There's Nothing To It

Ever read up on Russian history? There's about 700 years' worth of seriously fucked up rulers.

[sam sarrha]

17. Stalin, Mao and Al Capone all died of cerebral syphilis, maybe even Hitler...LINK>s

http://www.kimel.net/syphilitic.html

this book is particularly interesting
http://www.poxhistory.com/

this is a must read, scroll down
http://www.personalconsult.com/articles/violencesyphilisandlyme.html

makes me wonder about our own little Hitler in the White House, he is totally off the wall, just being a wet brain alcoholic drug addict.. cant explain it all

[Selah]

24. ?

[Selah]

25. ?

[evilkumquat]

5. Can We PLEASE Stop Blaming the Prostitutes?

Seriously.

[sam sarrha]

18. in China prostitutes are slaves.. they are not protected from std's by their owners..

[eallen]

6. Freedom is bad for moral values. Can we leave behind that moralism?

Syphilis is a disease, not a curse from the gods. Prophylaxis and education are the preventives, and penicillin is the cure. Color me a liberal in favor of personal freedom and technological progress, and against the moralists, whether they are the religious right who idealize the Puritans, or the authoritarian left who seemingly idealize the authoritarian and bloodthirsty regime of Mao.

:hippie:

[hogwyld]

28. But, but....

Don't you know that according to Herr Decider, "Freedom is on the march" :sarcasm:

[Selah]

13. If you think that is bad, Check out the moral values of some Cubans

[ngant17]

22. I don't see the point of singling out ethnic groups here

Moral and ethical values in Cuba have been rather exceptional and outstanding since the beginning of the 1959 Revolution.

I am not very impressed with some, sure. Especially here in US. But I could say similar things about any other racial group anywhere in the world.

[Selah]

23. Of course not.!

That is not the point. It is that because Most Cubans are poor in a poor socialized country, even doctors are known to become prostitutes to support their families. Cubans here in the US and in Cuba are a proud and industrious people. All the more sadness that many in Havana are involved in sex tourism. This says very little for Socialism. Picture this, a man and his family on a block of foam the size of a refrigerator floating across the Gulf Stream to come here. Do not be deceived either, not all Cubans want to leave Cuba - but SOME sure do and will risk their lives to do so. Thank you for galvanizing my post.

[ngant17]

27. I've visited Havana twice in 4 years

so I don't have to read the sensationalist press in the US to see what Cuba is like for myself.

I doubt if there are many Cuban doctors who are engaged in prostitution, you may find one extreme example or two but I doubt it if it is more than that.

Cubans in the US have received preferential treatment for immigration purposes, and I don't think they work any differently than anyone else.

"Sex tourism" does not exist in Cuba, there are some stray jinateras that hang out at the bus stations and other places in the cities, but enforcement against prostitution has increased in Cuba and you will be on a fast track to a prison if you continue to engage in this sort of immoral behavior.

To immigrate from Cuba, you have certain legal procedures which must be followed and it also requires a substantial sum of money to be paid to the government. If a Cuban cannot follow those procedures, they should not be allowed to enter the US illegally, by raft or otherwise.

No one is left to die of hunger or disease in Cuba. The Cuban government has socialized medical care and subsidizes rent and ration books for food to its citizens.

[Selah]

29. I too have been to Havana

Why presume I have not and then assert my opinions have been formed from the press? Any case, wrong! I have had the unenviable pleasure of standing along the sea wall at Hemingway's Marina waiting to clear customs. My first introduction to the sex tourist trade became evident as I met others with the Havana Cup race giving me unsolicited advice about prostitution there. While there, I saw more than some strays. As for the "doctor" comment, this was told to us by our guide who took us through the city without any of us asking. You are correct in asserting that enforcement in Cuba has increased and perhaps there is less now than before. The point of the post is to illustrate that Socialism, in this case, is not responsible for higher morals over capitalism.
To immigrate from Cuba, all one needs is a paddle, raft and a prayer. If they make it to land before being picked up (or God forbid they die trying) they in most cases will be able to stay.
I have personally seen dozens of homemade raft remains on the beach and underwater along with desperate landings in make shift lodging in huts or cistern or whatever they can find and avoid being returned. Might one recommend on the next trip to Cuba, a stop over at the Cisterns on Elbow Cay and the shack on Cay Sal in the Bahamas (approx. 30 mi. North of Cuba).
Ps. There is no hunger or death by disease in Cuba? Small price to pay for freedom huh?
Also, I do not know too many Cubans that fled who appreciated people visiting there as they beieve that it enables Castro.

[ngant17]

30. My friend Daniel lives in Havana

and he came to the US during the Mariel boatlift. He realized that he couldn't make it in the US, no way to save enough money to survive and have a roof over his head, and he voluntarily returned to live back in Cuba where he is content and happy.

Everyone I met in Cuba support the Revolution whole-heartedly even though they have the own criticisms of life there. All these Cubans have working-class backgrounds, and their fathers and mothers were ordinary workers prior to the Revolution. This economic class had no reason to "escape" communism. They benefited very much from the new system.

If someone is overly critical of the Cuban Revolution, I simply don't want to associate with that person. They can whine to someone else who wants to listen.

If you are an ordinary worker or poor or middle-class, you will feel right at home when you visit Cuba. I know I did. I don't know how the tourists from upper-classes might view the situation in Cuba, but that doesn't bother me because no one is allow to accumulate large amounts of wealth in Cuba.

[Selah]

33. Don't understand how Daniel did not succeed when so many other

immigrants do - go to any construction site and Florida (and many other states) and observe who is doing the work. Further, one could assume they came here from a poor background in order to aspire to have a better life for themselves and their families. In either case, if Daniel is happy that is all that matters. Ah, the Mariel boat lift - the Carter fiasco, where Castro duped him into accepting many criminals and convicts.
Could it be everyone you talk to "supports the revolution whole heartedly" because they will wind up dissidents in a Cuban prison should they criticize Castro? HMMMM! I wonder? That is why there is free press in Cuba right. Do Cuban exiles make up stories of spying on their neighbors, their membership in the party, serving where they are told for favors such as a car or sending their children to college and "waiting until they have "fulfilled" certain time and requirements to visit outside the country?
Not sure that I agree with the whole demographic segregation theory either, except to remind one of how many have risked their lives to leave there to come here. As far as disassociating from the "whiners" critical of the revolution - caution! Don't take that dog and pony show to Miami or the keys. There are many who are Successful and industrious and left because they had spirit to excel rather than settling for scraps from the kings table and no freedom - there will be little comfort there. I too, never felt out of place in Cuba, even visiting the capital or Partagas - uh, until I tried to get a cruising permit to leave Hemingway's and explore other parts of the country. I will submit you that no one is allowed to accumulate wealth in Cuba, because Castro owns all of it. Ps. I am critical of the Cuban revolution (in case not observed and I welcome the consequences!) - apparently you listened! In this country we have that (and many other) freedoms to criticize.

[ngant17]

38. many of us here are living like Daniel did

We live paycheck to paycheck, and we have no health insurance so we are one medical bill from facing bankruptancy.

Rates of poverty in the US are the highest for any industrialized nation in the world. The U.S. has the third most unequal distribution of income, behind Mexico and Russia, and the third-highest poverty rate, behind those same countries.

All my Cuban friends support the Revolution and will defend it to the last drop of their blood. No question in my mind about that. Because the Cuban Revolution was and always is a movement of the workers and the poorest sectors of society. Sure, a lot of rich Cubans left the island for greener pastures after the Revolution, but the same thing happened right after the US Revolution of 1776, approx. 5-10 percent of existing population defected back to England rather than live in the new US.

Fidel Castro doesn't not own any wealth for himself, the state distributes the wealth to the Cuban people.

[Selah]

39. Good bye ngant

Dios Te Bendiga y Cubanos - May God Bless you and the people of Cuba.

[bleedingheart]

15. selective abortion of females and infanticide of infant girls

will leave those guys with even more problems...

While I support China's efforts in the one child policy to reduce their population...the other cultural factors will end up screwing the guys who are left looking for mates in less than 15 years or so...

*note...I support their population reduction policy because they have the common sense to know that it is better to control the population than to have folks starve to death or have mass hysteria due to overpopulation issues.

[Porcupine]

31. It's a lack of old-age pensions that is the cause.

In countries that have a reliable old-age pensions system people will not look at their children as a retirement investment and the population naturally declines. Where there is a failure in the pension system or a weak system people will have children and game the sex of the children to ensure that they can survive their elder years.

The abortions, the infacticides, the social disruption of having an excess of men competing for brides are a symptom. Cuba, whatever it's problems, does not starve it's elderly or kick them to the curb. Therefore there are fewer people trying to guarantee male children.

[leesa]

19. Misogyny bites, I guess.

Too bad you didn't want any of those bad old girl babies.

[AngryAmish]

20. Thirty years ago was just at the end of the Cultural Revolution

It is easy to eradicate a venereal disease when all the brothels were closed. China traditionally is a very sexually uptight country with lots of double standards (ie extramarital sex is looked down on for women but it is ok for men to see hookers or keep concubines). During the Cultural Revolution hookers and concubines were all part of the capitalist roaders who were killed or sent into the countryside for reeducation.

Since Deng's loosening hookers and concubines have come back into fashion. IIRC, a few guys have been arrested for having concubines but they were probably on the outs with the gov't anyway. Concubinage also just exacerbates the gender disparity of Chinese life so guys will increasing go to hookers (who are very often slaves).

[NickB79]

21. Wonder what's happening with their HIV rates?

At least syphilis, if treated early, can be cured with few side-effects. HIV without antivirals is a death sentence.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

32. Don't know about the prostitute factor, but HIV is rising because of

poor people selling their blood to make money at sleazy blood banks that reuse needles without sterilizating them.

[Captain Hilts]

26. Well, ain't that just too damned bad. they'll find 'sympathy' between 'shit' and syphllis' in the..

dictionary.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

37. Please elaborate. You think those people deserve to get syphilis? -nt

[barb162]

36. I don;t get your last sentence. Is that satire?

My understanding is they still abort a lot of female infants so there's an imbalance of males to females