Gao Yaojie, the Doctor who Exposed China's Aids Crisis, Passes Away at 95

Dr. Gao Yaojie, a well-known doctor and activist who exposed the AIDS epidemic in rural China, has passed away at the age of 95. She died of natural causes in New York, where she had been living in exile since 2009. Dr. Gao's groundbreaking work uncovered the connection between businesses selling blood and the spread of HIV in the countryside. As a gynaecologist, Dr. Gao encountered her first AIDS patient in the central province of Henan in 1996. During that time, selling blood was a common practice in rural areas due to limited economic opportunities. Local governments often supported this practice, but it led to the collection of blood from HIV-positive individuals, resulting in the rapid spread of the disease. Dr. Gao estimated that there were 10 million HIV infections in China, a figure that greatly exceeded the official government's estimate of 740,000. However, her claims were disputed by officials. Despite this, Dr. Gao's work gained significant attention both within China and abroad, earning her numerous awards. However, the Chinese authorities became less tolerant of her criticism and she faced surveillance and growing pressure. In 2009, she left China and eventually settled in New York, where she lived until her death. Although she had been away from China for a long time, her passing was mourned by many Chinese people online. Some users on social media platforms such as Weibo expressed their respect for Dr. Gao's important contributions, acknowledging that younger generations might be less familiar with her work. One Chinese journalist also mentioned other Chinese doctors who had played significant roles in uncovering public health crises, such as the whistleblowers of the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the COVID-19 pandemic.