HIV Cases Surpass a Million in Russia, but Little Is Done
The New York Times - "Quietly, the number of Russians who have received a positive H.I.V. diagnosis passed the one million mark this year. There is, however, little indication that the government will commit adequate resources to stem the acceleration of the virus from high-risk groups into the general population.
About 850,000 Russians carry H.I.V. and an additional 220,000 have died since the late 1980s, said Vadim Pokrovsky, the longtime head of the Moscow-based Federal AIDS Center, who estimated that at least another 500,000 cases of H.I.V. have gone undiagnosed.
Although the label “epidemic” prompts denials from some senior officials, experts on the front lines like Mr. Pokrovsky are calling it just that. The overall estimate of victims constitutes about 1 percent of ’s population of 143 million, enough to be considered an epidemic, they argued. (...)
“This can already be considered a threat to the entire nation,” Mr. Pokrovsky said, noting that the caseload is increasing by about 10 percent a year. In 2016, 100,000 new infections are anticipated, about 275 daily. It is the largest H.I.V. epidemic in Europe and among the highest rates of infection globally. Despite the grim milestone, experts do not expect much change in Russia, where victims still face the kind of stigma prevalent in the 1980s in the West and where continuing trench warfare between the Kremlin and independent nongovernmental organizations saps collective efforts. In addition, some prominent voices push “family values” as the ideal prevention program. (...)
The president has remained largely silent on H.I.V. Over all, activists said, the combination of indifference toward victims, government financial austerity, hostility toward foreign funds and a powerful camp of AIDS deniers all amounts to the lack of a coherent national effort. (...)
Despite that, both sides in the H.I.V. battle agree that Russia has made some progress. The fact that a national strategy exists — as well as an advertising program promoting H.I.V. tests backed by Svetlana Medvedeva, the wife of the prime minister — at least implies some high-level interest.(...)
Under World Health Organization guidelines, to reduce the spread of the disease, at least 90 percent of H.I.V.-positive patients should receive antiviral drugs. In Russia, a little more than 37 percent receive such treatment, according to government statistics. “The prevention programs are not working, the coverage is not sufficient to break the curve,” said Vinay P. Saldanha, the Unaids regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.(...)" (Photo: Max Avdeev for The New York Times)