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That fear is well founded. Adding to the stigma surrounding AIDS in these villages is the role that local leaders played in the blood-buying program. "Many government officials made a lot of money," says the patient advocate who calls himself Ke'Er. To protect themselves, they wrapped their villages in the cloak of state secrecy, effectively sealing off AIDS patients from foreign aid groups as well as health officials from other provinces. AIDS-care centers still won't put the word AIDS on their doors, opting instead for such intentionally obscure labels as "home garden."
To break through this barrier of fear, Ho has encouraged Health Minister Wu to visit the AIDS villages in Henan. Wu's visit would be the first by someone in her post and would send, Ho hopes, a powerful message that the government is more interested in controlling the epidemic than in assigning blame. Wu was appointed Health Minister when her predecessor, with whom Ho had begun his project, was fired by the Communist Party for mishandling the SARS outbreak--denying its existence until the epidemic was out of hand. "SARS was a big kick in the pants for China," Ho says. "They were tainted by the SARS experience, and the health officials there now want to do the right things with AIDS."
Ho doesn't expect miracles. Many of the cultural traditions that make it difficult for the Chinese people and their government to openly address a sexually transmitted disease are too deeply rooted for one man to change. A recent survey by Futures Group Europe and Horizon Research Group revealed that 20% of Chinese still have not heard of AIDS and that only 5% have had an HIV test. Ho is convinced that even if just part of his program is put in place, it will save lives. "If we had known how difficult the process was going to be, I'm not sure we would have embarked on it," he says, reflecting on his work of the past three years. "We put up with a lot. But as AIDS researchers, we could not continue to be distant from the vast majority of patients."
The work, after all, is just beginning. Ho's team in New York City has analyzed the first material from the blood samples. "It looks really good," says Ho, visibly brightening at the prospect of finally starting up his vaccine studies. "Any one of the sites in Yunnan would work well for a vaccine trial." Starting those trials will mean China is that much closer to controlling HIV and slowing the spread of those earthen graves of family members claimed by AIDS.