Dr. Gao Yaojie, renowned for exposing rural China's AIDS epidemic, passes away at 95

Renowned Chinese doctor Dr. Gao Yaojie, who courageously brought attention to the AIDS epidemic in rural China in the 1990s, has died at the age of 95. Despite government pressure, her significant efforts to raise awareness about the crisis have made a lasting impact on the battle against HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Gao Yaojie bravely denounced blood-selling schemes that resulted in the widespread infection of thousands with HIV, particularly in her native province of Henan in central China. Going beyond words, she traveled extensively throughout the country, personally treating patients even at her own cost. It is reported that she visited over 100 "AIDS villages" and engaged with over 1,000 families, providing essential assistance such as food, clothing, and medicine. Her impactful efforts earned recognition from both international organizations and officials.

AIDS not only killed individuals but destroyed countless families. This was a man-made catastrophe. Yet the people responsible for it have never been brought to account, nor have they uttered a single word of apology, Dr. Gao said in an interview with The New York Times in 2016.  In 2009, Dr. Gao Yaojie departed China amidst increasing surveillance and pressure from the local government. She chose to make her home in Manhattan, New York. Her husband, Guo Mingjiu, had passed away in 2006. Dr. Gao is survived by her two daughters and a son.