Can I get deported if I get HIV only after I've lived in China and from a Chinese citizen?

[Mas]

hello, im a foreigner from currently studying in beijing china, i might have been exposed recently to HIV from a chinese citizen and now im scared to go get treatment because im afraid if they find out that im positive i may get deported. please help, what can i do?

[Shelley]

I would be more scared of getting very ill or even dying. Get tested, find out for sure. Then do whatever needs to be done to keep well, this should be your priority and you should know so you don't pass it on to anyone else.

[Geiko]

Hello, Mas, I'm really sorry to hear that. According to HIV Travel China "no longer restricts tourists living with HIV from visiting the country, but will not issue them residence permits". 

However, you're already in the country, so this Expat thread might be relevant, especially this part:

Quote

I came to China unaware of my status and was found positive in China. Since I was already in China, maybe that is why they let me stay. I'm not sure if they will give a visa to someone that is positive but not in China yet. 
I also know that each city has different immigration laws. I've been given a job offer to Shanghai, but I need to look into their immigration laws there too. I also need to know if there is a hospital there that can treat HIV patients. 
As for treatment in China, if you are not a Chinese citizen, you will have to pay full cost for the drugs. They are about 4400 RMB a month, plus another 1800 every 3 months for CD4/viral load/liver function testing. That's still cheaper than America but more than I want to pay. I fly to Thailand every three months and buy the drugs there that cost next to nothing. Within two months of taking these pills from Thailand, my CD4 when to normal levels and my viral load became undetectable. Flights are cheap from Guangzhou and I save a lot more money flying to Thailand than buying my medicine in China.
My HIV doctor in Guangzhou tells me she has other expat patients, and my HIV doctor in Thailand tells me he has several expat patients living in China, so it is possible to live in China with HIV. You just have to have the funds and an employer that will grant you AL when you need to fly to Thailand when you need to.

 

[Mas]

thank you for the input guys..really appreciate it, still kinda scared but i hope all goes well..

[Mas]

i was searching online and apparently there is a treatment for those that might have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours called Post Exposure Prophylaxis, i was exposed almost 24 hours ago and would like to know where in Beijing i can go for this treatment and how much it would cost in total?

[Lu]

If I were you I'd call some hospitals to ask them. Depending on your financial situation and your Chinese level, you can either start with international hospitals that cater to expats (English-speaking but expensive) or local hospitals (cheap but Chinese-speaking).

 

Good luck, this must be very scary. Best act fast. Do you have a good friend nearby who can support you and help with phoning hospitals and such?

[Angelina]

The most important thing right now is your health. Find at least one person you trust to help you get the best medical assistance you can get. 

[Mas]

2 hours ago, Lu said:

you can either start with international hospitals that cater to expats (English-speaking but expensive) or local hospitals (cheap but Chinese-speaking).

 

2 hours ago, Angelina said:

The most important thing right now is your health. Find at least one person you trust to help you get the best medical assistance you can get. 

okay i tried to be as quick as possible, i wasnt not sure which ones are the local ones or international ones so i just went to the nearest which was You'an Hospital i think, most of them there couldnt speak english from the receptionist to the nurses but luckily the doctor i was supposed to see did speak and quite fluently too, he charged 2000rmb for the PEP treatment and about 500rmb for blood tests and the like, will be awaiting results soon..

[Lu]

Glad you managed to find the treatment you needed first! I hope the results will be good.

[roddy]

For anyone in the middle of a panicked Google search, this is You'an Hospital. 

[Shelley]

Well done, I am glad you choose to take action and I hope it all comes back clear and you are fit and well.

[imron]

Keep in mind that there is a window period for HIV testing from 10 days to 3 months depending on the type of test done (see here for more info).

 

So if you have been exposed very recently, you may still need to go back in 3 months time for another set of tests even if this first test comes back negative, and you can still pass the virus on during this time if it turns out you do have HIV even if you had an initially negative result.

 

Unfortunately this may make the next 3 months quite nerve-racking, but I hope everything works out for you.

 

[Mas]

4 hours ago, Lu said:

Glad you managed to find the treatment you needed first! I hope the results will be good

 

2 hours ago, Shelley said:

 

Well done, I am glad you choose to take action and I hope it all comes back clear and you are fit and wel

 

 

3 minutes ago, imron said:

Keep in mind that there is a window period for HIV testing from 10 days to 3 months depending on the type of test done

 

yes i was actually told that after the first test i will need to come back for another in 4 weeks and then again after 3 months, so its going to be a while feeling the way i do right now.. still hope for the best..

[imron]

Whatever happens, please come back and update this thread once all the tests are done.

 

I'm sure there will be future readers going through a similar scares who will appreciate being able to read it.

[abcdefg]

And wear a condom during sex. Especially now that you might infect others. There's lots of stuff you can get and pass on besides AIDS. Did the hospital test for any of that?

[Mas]

16 hours ago, imron said:

update this thread

 

7 hours ago, abcdefg said:

 

And wear a condom during sex. Especially now that you might infect others. There's lots of stuff you can get and pass on besides AIDS. Did the hospital test for any of that?

 

just came back from the hospital, and the HIV test was negative and everything else was ok, whats left is the syphilis test that will be out next week. so first test is done, and now awaiting the other two tests. a little relieved and hoping the other ones will be the same results..

[Lu]

Thanks for updating, I'm glad the test was negative!!

 

If you have time, would you mind posting some of the vocabulary you used in your contact with the hospital? It sounds like your Chinese was good enough to explain to the various staff what you needed, and it might come in handy in the future for someone else who has the same issue.

[Mas]

5 hours ago, Lu said:

If you have time, would you mind posting some of the vocabulary you used in your contact with the hospital? It sounds like your Chinese was good enough to explain to the various staff what you needed, and it might come in handy in the future for someone else who has the same issue.

 

On 2/23/2017 at 7:03 PM, Mas said:

most of them there couldnt speak english from the receptionist to the nurses but luckily the doctor i was supposed to see did speak and quite fluently too

thats alright but like i mentioned before over there, i said the doctor spoke english, the rest of the stuff i got in contact with didnt, i had to translate before they sent me to him..my chinese is not good at all unfortunately..

[abcdefg]

>>" ...and everything else was ok."

 

The "everything else" should have included testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Basic screening for these is usually done with quick tests at the time of your initial visit (i.e., while you wait for results.)

 

Clamydia = 衣原体 yiyuanti

Gonorrhea = 淋病  linbing

 

Syphlis =  梅毒 meidu

AIDS =  艾滋病 aizi bing

 

Venereal disease/Sexually transmitted disease = 性病 xingbing

 

Hepatitis is common in China and can be spread by unprotected sex.

 

Hep C = 丙型肝炎  bingxing ganyan

Hep B = 乙型肝炎 (usually abbreviated 乙肝 yigan)

[rezaf]

Aren't there some self-tests available for those who are concerned about their privacy?

 

I guess you should buy a few of them and test yourself every few weeks before going to the hospital.