Hiv/aids in russia

HIV/AIDS in Russia

According to usaid. gov report, HIV in Russia was first detected” among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 1987”. At that time, the incidence was really low until it reached alarming rates at 1996 when more than a thousand cases were added. By 1998, USAID has been active in launching HIV activities that mainly focused on prevention among youth. In 2005, the focus was shifted towards most at risk populations (MARPs) (usaid. gov). Nevertheless, as early as 1995, the Russian government has already formulated Russia’s Federal Law on HIV/AIDS. The main emphasis of such policy was more on prevention and health care rights for people with AIDS (hivpolicy. ru, 2007). Discrimination is one of the obstacles against effective treatment in Russia since many citizens feel” anger, disgust , or fear” against people affected with the virus ( BBC News online, May 2004). 2. Russia attends to its people by providing free antiretroviral therapy; however, there are cases of shortages because they do not produce their own drugs which are actually expensive (UNAIDS, 2008). According to joint report by WHO/AIDS/UNICEF in 2010, “ only 16 to 24 percent of adults and children are receiving antiretroviral therapy” despite the fact that it is free. A break in treatment is an obstacle because the patients develop drug resistance. 3. The incidence of HIV prevalence in Russia is a serious matter considering the fact that “ it has the second highest prevalence in Eastern Europe and Eurasia “(usaid. gov). Most of at risk population include women, sex workers, youth and even pregnant women. The situation is rather complicated by the high incidence of TB which makes HIV affected people easily succumb to complications . Families are threatened by the disease since even children and pregnant women are at risk. The matter is also worsened by prevalent cases of drug addiction wherein HIV is acquired through needle exchange. 4. Presently, Russia is being helped by various international organizations since as USAID, WHO and UN to promote HIV awareness among the population. However, there are many underlying issues that must be addressed such as discrimination against people with HIV. Treatment cannot be successful without full support and stigma definitely scares people with HIV to seek help. Also, drug addiction should be curbed as well as excessive sexual behavior since this help spread the infection. Russia needs a stronger moral fiber to begin attacking the root of the problem instead of seeking palliative measures that are more costly to undertake. References BBC News (2004, May 14). Russia campaigns against Aids fear. BBC News, p. 1. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/europe. HIV/AIDS Policy Framework and Implementation in Russia. (2007) HIV Policy. Retrieved February 20, 2011, from www. hivpolicy. ru/LeadersForum/en/documents/ HIVRussia PolicyFramework_eng. pdf UNAIDS (2008). 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic. USAIDIRussia. HIV /AIDS Health Profile. Retrieved from /http://www. usaid. gov/ourwork /global_health/ aids/Countries/eande/russia_profile. pdf on Feb 20, 2011. WHO/UNAIDS/UNICEF (2010) . Towards universal access: Scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector.