An eight-year-old boy who was made an outcast in his village and described by his own family as a 'ticking time bomb ' because he has HIV has been given a home at last . In a case that was condemned around the world , Luo Kun Kun was expelled from his village when locals - including his own grandfather - signed a petition to banish him to 'protect villagers ' health ' . Following that cold-hearted decision , the mournful child explained how , 'nobody plays with me , I play alone ' . But now a specialist school in Linfen , a city in southern Shanxi Province , has stepped in to help . The Red Ribbon School is the only school in China equipped to look after and educate HIV-positive children . Kun Kun was refused admission to schools and locals would avoid contact with him , so he spent his days playing in the woods alone . The five-year-old has now been admitted a place at the Red Ribbon School in Linfen , China , . After being banished from his village , Kun Kun finally has a home where he is cared for and looked after . Kun Kun contracted the virus from his mother when she was pregnant with him , but was only diagnosed when he was five years old . His mother and stepfather worked in other provinces , so he was raised near the town of Xichong with his non-blood-related grandparents , who had adopted his stepfather as a child . The boy was refused admission to local schools and locals would avoid contact with him , so he spent his days playing in the woods alone . When he was diagnosed , his grandparents found themselves isolated in their village of Shufangya in south-eastern China 's Sichuan province and so sided with the locals . At a special meeting on December 7 last year , 203 village residents signed a petition asking the authorities to 'carry out preventative isolation measures by taking Kun Kun away from the village , and protect the health of the villagers and children ' . It went on to say that Kun Kun 'provokes fear among the community ' . He was also referred to as a 'ticking time bomb ' . Wang Yishu , party chief of Shufangya village , said : 'The villagers sympathise with him , he is innocent , and only a small child . But his AIDS is too scary for us ' . Kun Kun was forced to play alone in his home village , but has now been admitted to a specialist school . The Sichuan government contacted the school in Linfen when Kun Kun 's plight made worldwide headlines . However the future is now looking up for Kun Kun , after he was given a place at the boarding school last week . The Sichuan government contacted the school in Linfen when Kun Kun 's desperate plight made worldwide headlines . Headteacher Guo Xiaoping said : ' A good social and educational environment is important for Kun Kun and with the help of teachers , he is more open and polite than before ' . He added : 'Kun Kun 's physical strength is notably below that of the other students . Fortunately , he has been sent here in time , and started taking medication last November . At Kunkun 's age , it 's crucial that he undergoes proper treatment . ' Kun Kun did not say a word when he arrived at the school , according to the headteacher , but can study and talk like a normal student now . The devastating case of Kun Kun has highlighted the stigma attached to the disease in China . The child was forced out of his village when villagers signed a petition asking the authorities to remove him . The petition signed by villagers said Kun Kun 'provokes fear among the community ' and referred to him as a 'ticking time bomb ' Knowledge of HIV/AIDS in China is worse in poor , rural areas , such as the community Kun Kun is from . Kun Kun was banished from the village of Shufangya , near the town of Xichong ( shown on this map ) The case of Kun Kun has highlighted the stigma attached to the disease in China , where many sufferers face widespread discrimination . The problem is so great , even medical workers sometimes refuse to touch those diagnosed with the disease . The latest figures released by China 's National Health and Family Planning Commission showed a total of 497,000 people in China have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS since the country 's first case in 1985 . China has a population of 1.36billion . Knowledge of HIV/AIDS is worse in poor , rural areas , such as the community Kun Kun is from , experts have said . Officials are reportedly planning to educate the villagers who banished Kun Kun through a campaign . The Nanjing-based anti-discrimination NGO Justice for All wrote a letter to party chiefs in Sichuan calling on them to punish school chiefs and local officials for their 'Cultural Revolution style ' , a reference to the Mao Zedong-inspired public denunciations of 'foes ' . 'We can not imagine how Kun Kun will grow up and look back on the experience of childhood , ' said a draft of the letter .
Luo Kun Kun expelled from his village in Shanxi Province when diagnosed with HIV . Residents - including his grandfather - signed a petition to banish him . He was refused admission to schools and said 'nobody plays with me ' Now a specialist school in Linfen , China , has stepped in to help . The Red Ribbon School is equipped to look after HIV-positive children .