. Earth Science News .
EPIDEMICS
Russian activists struggle to raise HIV awareness as epidemic grows
By Maria PANINA
Moscow (AFP) May 28, 2016


Vadim Pokrovsky stunned hundreds of students at a conference in Moscow last week when he reached into his pocket and took out a condom.

"And you, the young generation, how do you protect yourselves from HIV?" said Pokrovsky, the 61-year-old head of Russia's federal AIDS centre.

"I always have a condom on me. Today even a 90-year-old can contract the virus."

The audience fell silent for a moment before breaking into applause.

Despite the efforts of activists like Pokrovsky, the total number of registered HIV cases in Russia exceeded one million in late 2015, with authorities struggling to contain an epidemic that experts say could be curbed by increased funding and more awareness campaigns.

Pokrovsky has been openly critical of the Kremlin's policies promoting traditional family values, saying they have failed to halt the spread of the deadly virus.

"In 2015 alone, some 100,000 new HIV cases were reported in Russia," Pokrovsky told AFP.

"This is a very high rate, maybe the highest in Europe."

- Faithfulness vs condoms -

The Russian government's policy focuses on treatment while neglecting prevention drives such as sex education in schools, with the number of people infected with the virus soaring as a result, say experts.

A public health campaign in Moscow last year urged people to be faithful to their partners, rather than promoting condom use.

"Young people here often don't even know what HIV is and don't understand its dangers," said Moscow-based student Darya Belimova who joined Pokrovsky to address more than a thousand young people at the conference.

The gathering was part of the "Stop HIV/AIDS" prevention campaign spanning more than 200 universities.

And although the Russian health and education ministries support "Stop HIV/AIDS", activists and volunteers say they are fighting a lonely battle against Russia's AIDS epidemic as the virus increasingly affects the heterosexual population.

The World Health Organization last year said that Russia accounted for 60 percent of all HIV diagnoses in Europe in 2014, with heterosexual sex the main route of transmission of the virus which is spread through contact with contaminated body fluids.

The number of HIV-positive minors -- which stood at 9,792 in 2015 -- has also jumped 8.5 percent compared to the previous year.

In most of these cases an HIV-positive mother transmitted the virus to the child at birth, said Pokrovsky.

"In Russia, there is not enough public financing to support the fight against HIV at a national scale, and HIV prevention programmes for drug addicts practically don't exist," he said.

- 'Foreign agents' -

There are just a few dozen NGOs working to fight the epidemic, spread across 40 Russian cities.

"For Russia, this is a very small number," Pokrovsky said.

Organisations like the Andrey Rylkov Foundation -- which runs an outreach programme for drug users in Moscow, handing out clean needles and condoms -- receive no government funding.

The vast size of the country also presents a challenge for effective prevention, with far-flung corners of the federation like Siberia particularly badly affected.

Russia also bans methadone replacement therapy for drug addicts, which would allow users to avoid injections, eliminating the risk of contracting the virus from contaminated syringes.

Many Russian NGOs -- including those working on HIV prevention among drug addicts -- have been under increased pressure since the reelection of President Vladimir Putin to a third term in 2012.

Shortly after he was sworn in once again, the government passed a law allowing authorities to brand groups engaging in broadly-defined "political activity" that receive foreign funding as "foreign agents".

The legislation was passed soon after huge anti-Putin protests rocked Moscow, and Kremlin critics see the law as a way to muzzle the strongman's critics and tighten his grip on power.

In April, a court ordered that Sotsium, an HIV prevention NGO based in the southwestern city of Saratov, be labelled "foreign agents" after it received 1.5 million rubles ($22,400) in foreign funding to conduct a survey among drug addicts and people with HIV.

"Until recently, society wasn't really aware of the magnitude of the problem," said Sergei Smirnov, vice-chair of the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives, the organisation behind the "Stop HIV/AIDS" campaign.

If the growth of HIV infections remains steady until 2021, Russia will face a so-called "generalised epidemic," the foundation warns.

An epidemic becomes "generalised" when HIV prevalence exceeds one percent in pregnant women nationwide, Pokrovsky said.

"This rate now stands at 0.8 percent," he said. "But if it increases, the risk of a serious epidemic is very high."


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
EPIDEMICS
A global early warning system for infectious diseases
Millbrook NY (SPX) May 24, 2016
In the recent issue of EMBO reports, Barbara Han of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and John Drake of the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology call for the creation of a global early warning system for infectious diseases. Such a system would use computer models to tap into environmental, epidemiological and molecular data, gathering the intelligence needed to forecast where dise ... read more


EPIDEMICS
Rescue drama all in a day's work for Italy's navy heroes

UN reaches out to China to build peacekeeping force

Sri Lanka appeals for up to $2 billion in foreign flood aid

The Lessons of Chernobyl and Fukushima

EPIDEMICS
How solids dissolve in space may enable better tablets and pills on Earth

Clue for efficient usage of low-cost nickel catalysts

India's Indigenous IT: New Supercomputer to be Built in 2017

How the giant magnetoelectric effect occurs in bismuth ferrite

EPIDEMICS
Thailand closes dive sites over coral bleaching crisis

Hongkongers pooh-pooh waste treatment plant, despite free spa

In changing oceans, cephalopods are booming

Inland waterways emit more CO2 than previously thought

EPIDEMICS
Current atmospheric models underestimate the dirtiness of Arctic air

Northern invaders threaten Antarctic marine life

McDonald's in 'historic' agreement to contain Arctic cod fishing

Study Helps Explain Sea Ice Differences at Earth's Poles

EPIDEMICS
Bayer-Monsanto tie-up fuels anti-GM debate in Germany

Study: Farm-raised salmon suffer from depression

New confidence in China wine market at Hong Kong's Vinexpo

Cambodia's royal oxen predict 'bountiful' harvest despite severe drought

EPIDEMICS
Lava-loving tourists flock to active Nicaragua volcano

A warning system for tsunamis

Thousands homeless in cyclone-hit Bangladesh

Sri Lanka rain death toll hits 101 as waters recede

EPIDEMICS
DR Congo denies getting pistols from North Korea

Senegal's child beggars show limits of 'apptivism'

S.Africa may re-consider regulated rhino horn trade in future

Climate-exodus expected in the Middle East and North Africa

EPIDEMICS
Migration back to Africa took place during the Paleolithic

Did human-like intelligence evolve to care for helpless babies

Archaeologists say they've discovered Aristotle's tomb

French cave sheds new light on the Neanderthals









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.