Moscow: The HIV/AIDS rate is growing
in Russia, and it would spread further raising the number of cases this year, the head of Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment Center has said.
"We forecast 60,000 new HIV cases this year. That is
alarming statistics. The epidemic continues to spread," head
of the Federal HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment Center Vadim
Pokrovsky said.Russia registered 49,000 HIV cases in 2007, and 55,000
in 2008. In all, more than 500,000 Russians have contracted
the infection, he said.
"Europe has tackled the HIV/AIDS problem, and the
disease does not endanger their national security. The
HIV/AIDS rate is 0.3 per cent of adult population in Western
Europe, and 1 per cent in Russia. The sickness rate is the
highest in the Irkutsk and Samara regions," Pokrovsky said.
Insufficient preventive measures are the main reason
for the high HIV/AIDS rates, he said.
The federal budget assigned 400 million rubles for
HIV/AIDS prevention this year, but it is unclear where the
money went, he said.
"The epidemic will increase in the next one or two
years," he said.
Drug addicts are the most susceptible to the virus.
Sexual transmission of the virus ranks second.
PTI