HIV spreading fast in Russia

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AIDS official: HIV spreading fast in Russia

By Steve Gutterman, Associated Press Writer –

MOSCOW – A top Russian anti-AIDS coordinator on Friday lambasted the

government's approach to fighting HIV, saying the number of registered

cases was growing 10 percent a year despite increased federal funding.

A misguided focus on treatment instead of prevention has undermined

efforts to combat AIDS, said Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the state-funded

Federal AIDS Center, which is charged with coordinating efforts.

" It seems to me that we still have no national policy on fighting

AIDS, " Pokrovsky said. " We are running in place, and meanwhile HIV is

spreading. "

Each day about 130 new cases are registered in Russia, Pokrovsky said,

estimating there are more than 1 million Russians infected with HIV —

or almost 1 percent of the country's 142 million population — though

officially Russia has registered less than half that number at 470,000.

A large number are young drug users infected by dirty needles or

tainted communal drug supplies, experts say.

However, widespread social stigmas, misinformation and official denial

mean many people remain unaware they are at risk of being infected

with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Some regional governors " have simply refused to acknowledge the

problem of AIDS, " Pokrovsky said. Others, assuming higher spending

would make the problem go away, have done little to publicize the

problem, he said.

" Everyone needs to understand that this is a threat to the nation, and

it's necessary to mobilize as one would for war, " Pokrovsky said.

He urged the government to devise a clear strategy for informing

citizens about HIV, and said funding would have to be used more wisely

for results.

Starting in 2006, the government — enriched with oil-boom proceeds —

exponentially increased funding for the battle against AIDS as part of

a push to improve health care and stem Russia's population decline.

The government says budget spending for HIV-related activities last

year amounted to 10.7 billion rubles ($445 million) and was more than

50 times higher than in 2005.

Pokrovsky said it is spending at least 7.1 billion rubles ($270

million) on HIV/AIDS programs this year, including 5.1 billion rubles

($193 million) on drug treatments for 30,000 HIV-infected patients,

but only 200 million rubles ($7.6 million) for prevention — which he

called inadequate.

" This is the weakest point in our work: prevention of new cases of

infection, " he said. " We are doing practically nothing about this. "

He said the state plans to increase spending further in coming years,

but expressed concern that the deepening economic crisis could

jeopardize those plans.

The money that is earmarked for prevention was often being misspent,

he said, citing an example of a 100 million ruble ($3.6 million) AIDS

awareness TV program that aired at 8:30 a.m. nationwide — a time when

the audience was mostly pensioners and unlikely to be in any high-risk

groups.

(This version CORRECTS Subs lede to correct Pokrovsky's title; subs

grafs 10-12 to remove erroneous reference to lower spending figure for

2008 resulting from economic crisis.)

http://news./s/ap/20081121/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_aids_4