The UN has called Russia the epicenter of the global HIV epidemic. Official statistics of HIV and AIDS in Russia (latest data)

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In Russia, over the 11 months of 2017, 85 thousand new HIV-infected people were officially identified; the incidence (ratio of the number of cases per population) of HIV was 57.9 cases per 100 thousand population of the Russian Federation. Every hour in Russia there are 10 HIV-infected people.

The total number of registered HIV-infected people for all years of observation as of November 1, 2017 was 1,193,890 people, of whom 269,282 died.

The number of HIV-positive people living in the Russian Federation is very close to a million, and to be precise in 2017 it was 924,608 people.

And as a result, the rate of HIV infection among the Russian population is 629.8 HIV-infected citizens per 100 thousand population. If recalculated as a percentage, it turns out that 0.6% of the Russian population is infected with HIV.

Russia ranks 3rd, after South Africa and Nigeria, in terms of the rate of emergence of new HIV cases per unit of time (growth rate).

This is often associated with an increase in screening the population for HIV, but in fact, an increase in the number of those screened. In Europe, more than half (64%) of all new HIV infections occur in Russia.

TOP20 territories by HIV incidence in 2017

The leading territories in terms of HIV incidence in 2017 (by default for 10 months) were:

Kemerovo region– 174.5 per 100 thousand of us. (hereinafter %000), i.e. In absolute numbers, 4,727 new HIV-infected people were identified.
Irkutsk region– 134.0%000 (3,228 people), 2% of the region’s population are infected!
Sverdlovsk region – 128.1%000 (5,546 people). In the city of Yekaterinburg, 1,347 patients with HIV infection were identified (92.5%000).
Vladimir region– 124.6%000 (1,731 people).
Perm region for 11 months of 2017 – 126.2%000 (3,322 people), 13.1% more than the previous year.
Novosibirsk region – 120.3%000 (3,345 people).
Tyumen region - 109.2% 000 (1,614 people, including 5 teenagers).
Chelyabinsk region – 109.1%000 (3,821 people).
Tomsk region – 104.6%000 (1,129 people).
Kurgan region – 99.3%000 (848 people).
Krasnoyarsk Territory – 97.0%000 (2,789 people).
Orenburg region – 96.3%000 (1,916 people).
Altai Territory - 85.8%000 (2,030 people).
Omsk region – 84.8%000 (1,673 people).
Samara region - 84.2% 000 (2,698 people), every 100th resident of the region is HIV-infected.
Republic of Crimea – 79.0%000 (1,849 people).
Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region– Yugra – in 11 months 2017– 83.5%000 (1,374 people).
Ulyanovsk region – 72.3%000 (906 people).
Republic of Khakassia – 71.0%000 (382 people).
Udmurt Republic – 69.2%000 (1,050 people).

The territories most affected by HIV infection (by default as of November 1, 2017) are:

Irkutsk region– 1,738.2 people living with HIV are registered per 100 thousand population (hereinafter %000) (41,872 people),
Sverdlovsk region– 93,494 people are infected with HIV. (1,704.3%000), i.e. ~ 2% of the population suffers from HIV infection, in addition, 2% of pregnant women (every 50th) are infected with HIV, e.g. The Sverdlovsk region is ahead of everyone in the number of children (~15,000) born to mothers with HIV infection. This is very serious, this is a real epidemic.
Kemerovo region – 1 630,7%000 (44,173 people).
Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug– 1,513.6%000 (24,915 people) (as of 12/01/2017 -1,522%000 (25,054 people)).
Samara region – 1,473.3%000 (47,200 people).
Tyumen region – 1,393.3%000 (20,592 people).
Orenburg region – 1,284.7%000 (25,560 people).
Chelyabinsk region – 1,198.0%000 (41,958 people).
Novosibirsk region – 1,104.3%000 (30,695 people).
Perm region as of December 3, 2017 – 1 237,8%000 (32,581 people).
Republic of Crimea – 1,037.9%000 (24,296 people).
Ulyanovsk region – 960.1%000 (12,029 people).
Altai Territory – 902.7%000 (21,355 people).
Leningrad region – 872.9%000 (15,642 people).
Krasnoyarsk Territory – 853.4%000 (24,538 people).
Tomsk region – 835.1%000 (9,010 people).
Kurgan region – 823.4%000 (7,033 people).
Tver region – 771.8%000 (10,009 people).
Omsk region – 737.5%000 (14,549 people).
Moscow region as of 12/01/2017– 565.8%000 (42,000 people).

10 most dangerous regions for HIV in Russia.

Leading cities in terms of HIV prevalence (by default as of November 1, 2017):

Kemerovo - 2,154.7% 000 (more than 12,000 people). 2% of residents of the city of Kemerovo are infected with HIV.
Novosibirsk as of May 19, 2017 – 2,121.1 (more than 34,000 people). More than 2% (every 47th) of Novosibirsk citizens are infected with HIV.
Irkutsk as of 12/01/2017– 1,964.0%000 (more than 12,250 people). 2% of Irkutsk are infected with HIV, every 50th.
Ekaterinburg - 1,956.0% 000 (28,478 people) Almost 2% of city residents are affected by HIV, every 51st, p.e. Yekaterinburg is called the “capital of AIDS”.
Chelyabinsk - 1,584.8% 000 (19,000 people) 1.6% of the city's population are HIV-infected, every 63rd.

St. Petersburg – 880.4%000 (46,499 people).

Moscow as of 12/01/2017– 710.8%000 (more than 88,000 people).

Sex composition

In 2017, men still predominated among HIV-infected people - 62.9%, women - 37.6%.

Age composition

Most affected by HIV age group 30-39 years old, every 50th person has HIV infection. The epidemic is migrating to older age groups: for example, in 2000, the age group under 30 years old was 87%, and in 2017, HIV-infected people diagnosed at the age of 30-50 years old were 69%. But here also possible reason there may be late detection. Question: “When did they become infected with HIV?” In addition, cases of infection in very old age have become more frequent, for example

A 98-year-old grandfather infected with HIV was identified in Yekaterinburg.

Routes of infection

The sexual route continues to predominate, which should be very alarming, because... The population of people who have more than one sexual partner is vast and has huge potential for the development of the HIV epidemic.

In 2017, more than half of newly diagnosed HIV-infected people were infected through natural sexual contact., 2.3% – through unnatural sexual intercourse (“special” men), 46.1% – through the use of psychoactive substances, 1.4% – children born to women with HIV infection.

Infection within the walls of medical institutions is growing, which is also an indicator of the HIV epidemic:

h a 10 months of 2017 registered 12 cases of suspected HIV infection during the provision of medical care .

Mortality

In the first 10 months of 2017, 24,713 patients with HIV infection died in Russia, which is 8.2% more than in the same period last year.

Every day 80 HIV-infected people die.

Educational composition

Persons with average special education. Perhaps in the future we will face a shortage of specialists due to HIV infection.

Treatment

Only a third of HIV-infected people (328,138 out of 709,022 in need) received the necessary treatment. There were interruptions in the supply of necessary drugs, and some patients (21,903 people) stopped taking necessary medications. Treatment regimens are outdated and do not promote adherence to their use. HIV treatment coverage has barely reached 35.5% of all living HIV-infected people; among those under medical supervision, this percentage is higher – 46.3%.

Population screening for HIV

In 2017 (10 months), survey coverage increased slightly, by approximately 10.8% - 27,330,821 Russians were examined, among whom 95% are not representatives of risk groups. That's why It is at least unprofessional to associate the growth of HIV infection with an increase in screening coverage (examination).

HIV prevalence among risk groups

According to biological and behavioral studies by the Open Institute of Population Health Foundation with the support of Rospotrebnadzor among key populations vulnerable to HIV (IDUs, MSM, sex workers) in 7 major cities RF.

conclusions

Based on the results of this study, it was found that all vulnerable groups of the population are severely affected by HIV. Among drug users, half are infected with HIV, among “special men” up to 23%, although this group, perhaps, cares more about their prevention than anyone else, but with the increase in the frequency of “safe” sexual intercourse, the risk of HIV infection increases.

In 2017, HIV and AIDS continued its victorious march across Russia, involving more and more new population groups in the epidemic process.
The preventive measures taken were insufficient. It turned out that simply distributing condoms and leaflets is not enough.
Low treatment coverage of people infected with HIV does not allow reducing the growth rate of the HIV epidemic.
To prevent an epidemic catastrophe, the intervention of the main political figure in Russia is required, volleys of all weapons: fidelity, abstinence, condoms, pre-exposure, post-exposure drug prophylaxis.
It is necessary to develop our own pharmaceutical production capacity to create inexpensive, accessible drugs to maintain an undetectable viral load in HIV-infected people, pre-exposure, post-exposure prophylaxis.

Video. The HIV situation in Russia in 2017.

The information is based on official data from the Russian Federal AIDS Center, territorial AIDS centers, and ROSPOTREBNADZOR.

Forecasts. Scenarios for the further development of HIV infection in the Russian Federation.

1st scenario. Fantastic.

The first person of the state gives orders to the people to whom we, as taxpayers, pay money for the prevention and fight against HIV/AIDS, and they finally begin to work for results. A methadone treatment program for drug users is being introduced, used syringes are being exchanged for new ones, in public places information machines with free rubber bands appear (approx. there is another word, but it is prohibited for use in the territory Russian Federation ), the “optimization” of medical institutions is stopped, Dom-2-like series are no longer shown on TV, and fidelity in marriage, abstinence before marriage, mutual monogamy are promoted, patients receive 1 tablet per day and become “undetectable.” The incidence rate is gradually going down, we have surpassed America and are joyfully stepping into a bright future.

2nd scenario. Catastrophic.

Everything is done as it is now, i.e. nothing (based on the results) is done. Panic is growing among the population, the stigmatization of HIV-infected people is growing, the number of defense-ready and able-bodied population is decreasing, and as a result, the economy and military power of the country are falling. The country is plunging into chaos, the apocalypse is here.

3rd scenario. Plausible.

Everything is done as it is done, i.e. nothing is being done, BUT... people realize that they are on their own and begin to act independently, as best they can: some fall into abstinence, some establish proper marital relationships, some begin to always carry a pack of elastic bands with them and put them on 2-3 pieces, someone just stops using drugs. The growth rate of HIV infection is stabilizing. People understand that they can still do something to change their lives.

According to the report announced at the Fifth International Conference on HIV, held in March 2016 in Moscow, the following ranking of 10 countries was compiled by the number of people infected with AIDS. The incidence of AIDS in these countries is so high that it has the status of an epidemic.

AIDS– acquired immune deficiency syndrome due to HIV infection. It is the last stage of the disease of an HIV-infected person, accompanied by the development of infection, tumor manifestations, general weakness and ultimately leads to death.

1.2 million patients out of 14 million population. Therefore, it is not surprising that the average life expectancy there is 38 years.

9th place. Russia

In 2016, in Russia, the number of people infected with AIDS exceeded 1 million people according to Russian health care, 1.4 million according to the EECAAC-2016 report. Moreover, the number of infected people has been actively growing over the past few years. For example: every 50th resident of Yekaterinburg is HIV positive.

In Russia, more than half of the patients became infected through a needle when injecting a drug. This route of infection is not the main route of infection for any country in the world. Why are there such statistics in Russia? Many say this is due to the shift away from the use of oral methadone as an injectable drug replacement.

Many people mistakenly believe that the problem of infection of drug addicts is only their problem; it is not so scary if the “scum of society” acquire diseases that lead to death. A person who uses drugs is not a monster who can be easily identified in a crowd. He for a long time leads a completely normal life. Therefore, spouses and children of drug addicts are often infected. Cases cannot be excluded when infection occurs in clinics and beauty salons after poor disinfection of instruments.

Until society realizes the real threat, until casual partners stop assessing the presence of STDs by eye, until the government changes its attitude towards drug addicts, we will rapidly rise in this ranking.

8th place. Kenya

6.7% of the population of this former English colony are HIV carriers, namely 1.4 million people. Moreover, the infection rate is higher among women, since the social level of the female population is low in Kenya. Perhaps the rather free morals of Kenyans also play a role - they approach sex easily.

7th place. Tanzania

Of the 49 million population of this African country, just over 5% (1.5 million) have AIDS. There are areas where the infection rate exceeds 10%: these are Njobe, far from tourist routes, and the capital of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam.

6th place. Uganda

The government of this country is making great efforts to combat the HIV problem. For example, if in 2011 there were 28 thousand children born with HIV, then in 2015 – 3.4 thousand. The number of new infections in adults also decreased by 50%. The 24-year-old king of Toro (one of the regions of Uganda) took control of the epidemic into his own hands and promised to stop the epidemic by 2030. There are one and a half million cases in this country.

5th place. Mozambique

More than 10% of the population (1.5 million people) are infected with HIV, and the country has no own strength to fight the disease. About 0.6 million children in this country are orphans due to the death of their parents from AIDS.

4th place. Zimbabwe

1.6 million infected per 13 million inhabitants. Widespread prostitution, lack of basic knowledge about contraception and general poverty led to these figures.

3rd place. India

Official figures are about 2 million patients, unofficial figures are much higher. Traditional Indian society is quite closed; many people keep silent about health problems. There is practically no educational work with young people; talking about condoms in schools is unethical. Hence, there is almost complete illiteracy in matters of contraception, which distinguishes this country from African countries, where getting condoms is not a problem. According to surveys, 60% of Indian women have never heard of AIDS.

2nd place. Nigeria

3.4 million HIV patients out of 146 million population, less than 5% of the population. The number of infected women is higher than men. Since there is no free healthcare in the country, the worst situation is in the poor.

1 place. South Africa

Country with the highest incidence of AIDS. Approximately 15% of the population is infected with the virus (6.3 million). About a quarter of high school girls already have HIV. Life expectancy is 45 years. Imagine a country where few people have grandparents. Scary? Although South Africa is recognized as the most economically developed country in Africa, most of population lives below the poverty line. The government is leading great job to curb the spread of AIDS, free condoms and testing are provided. However, poor people are convinced that AIDS is a white invention, just like condoms, and therefore both should be avoided.

Bordering South Africa, Swaziland is a country with a population of 1.2 million people, half of whom are HIV-positive. The average Swazilander does not live to be 37 years old.

The topic of the article is not the most pleasant, but “forewarned is forearmed”, the problem exists and simply turning a blind eye to it is unforgivable carelessness. Travelers often take risks with their health, fortunately, with fewer consequences, but it’s still not worth putting yourself in danger.

South Africa

Although the country is the most developed on the African continent, the number of HIV-infected people here is a record - 5.6 million. This despite the fact that there are only 34 million patients in the world, and the population of South Africa is about 53 million, that is, more than 15% are living with the virus.

What you need to know: Most people living with HIV are blacks from inner-city suburbs. It is this group that is in the worst social conditions with all the ensuing consequences: drug addiction, promiscuous sex, unsanitary conditions. The most patients were recorded in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (capital - Durban), Mpumalanga (Nelspreid), Freestate (Blomfontien), North West (Mafikeng) and Gauteng (Johanesburg).

Nigeria

There are 3.3 million HIV-infected people here, although this is less than 5% of the population: Nigeria recently supplanted Russia, taking 7th place in the world - 173.5 million people. IN big cities the disease spreads due to antisocial behavior, and in rural areas due to constant labor migration and “free” morals and traditions.

What you need to know: Nigeria is not the best hospitable country and Nigerians themselves understand this very well. Therefore, the receiving party will certainly take care of safety and warn against dangerous contacts.

Kenya

The country accounts for 1.6 million infected people, slightly more than 6% of the population. At the same time, women are more likely to suffer from the disease - about 8% of Kenyans are infected. As in many African countries, the status of women, and therefore their level of security and education, is still very low.

What you need to know: Safari in national park or a beach hotel holiday in Mombasa - quite safe activities, unless, of course, you are specifically looking for illegal entertainment.

Tanzania

Quite a friendly country for tourists with a lot of interesting places, is also dangerous from the point of view of HIV infection, although not like many other countries in Africa. According to recent studies, the HIV/AIDS incidence rate in Tanzania is 5.1%. There are fewer infected men, but the gap is not as large as, for example, in Kenya.

What you need to know: Tanzania, by African standards, is a fairly prosperous country, so if you follow the obvious rules, the threat of infection is minimal. The percentage of infected people is high, more than 10, in the Njobe region and the capital Dar es Salaam. Luckily, both of them are far from the tourist route, unlike Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar Island.

Mozambique

The country is deprived not only of attractions, but also of basic infrastructure from hospitals to roads and water supply. Moreover, many consequences civil war still not resolved. Certainly, African country in this state, she could not avoid the epidemic: according to various estimates, from 1.6 to 5.7 people were infected - conditions simply do not allow for an accurate study. Due to the widespread spread of the immunodeficiency virus, outbreaks of tuberculosis, malaria and cholera often break out.

Uganda

A country with good potential for classic safari tourism, which it is actively developing in Lately. Plus, Uganda has been and remains one of the most progressive countries in terms of HIV prevention and diagnosis in Africa. The first specialized clinic was opened here, and there are disease testing centers throughout the country.

What you need to know: the risk groups are the same as everywhere else: drug addicts, former prisoners - it will not be difficult for a sane tourist not to cross paths with them.

Zambia and Zimbabwe

These countries are similar in many ways, even the main attraction is one between them: it is located right on the border - tourists can come to it from both sides. In terms of living standards and AIDS incidence, the countries are also not far from each other - in Zambia there are almost a million infected, in Zimbabwe - 1.2. This is an average figure for Southern Africa - from 5% to 15% of the population.

What you need to know: there are problems with the provision of medicines; in addition, in rural areas, many self-medicate and practice useless rituals. Therefore, the disease, typical of cities, reached remote areas.

India

There are 2.4 million HIV-infected people here, although against the backdrop of a population of 1.2 billion this does not look so scary - less than 1%. The main risk group is sex industry workers. 55% of Indians living with HIV live in four southern states - Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Goa, the incidence rate is far from the highest for 0.6% of men and 0.4% of women.

What you need to know: fortunately, HIV infection, unlike many other tropical diseases, depends indirectly on unsanitary conditions. Frank dirt and cramped conditions - normal condition for India. The main thing, as, by the way, in any country, is to try not to appear in public places if there are wounds and cuts on the body, not to wear open shoes in the city, and we don’t even talk about dubious entertainment.

Ukraine

Eastern Europe, unfortunately, has shown positive trends in the incidence of HIV/AIDS over the past decades, and Ukraine consistently tops this sad list. Today in the country a little more than 1% of people are HIV-infected.

What you need to know: several years ago, unprotected sex became the method of spreading the disease, overtaking injections with dirty syringes. The Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa and Nikolaev regions are unfavorable. There, per 100 thousand inhabitants there are 600-700 infected. Kyiv, where tourists most often come, has an average level, and Transcarpathia has the lowest level in the country.

USA

America ranks 9th in the world in the number of HIV carriers - 1.2 million people. This high rate in one of the most prosperous countries is due to high level drug addiction, unresolved social contradictions, active migration. And the riotous, dissolute 60s were not in vain for the health of the nation. Of course, the disease is concentrated on specific groups of people who, most often, live not so much separately from everyone else, but localized, in “bad” areas.

What you need to know: here are ten cities where the percentage of HIV-positive patients is the highest (in descending order): Miami, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, New York, Washington, DC, Memphis, Orlando, New Orleans, Baltimore.

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

Of all the countries in the world, the highest growth rate in the number of new cases of HIV infection (human immunodeficiency virus) was recorded in Russia. She stated this while speaking at the US State Department on the occasion of the annual celebration of December 1 world day fight against AIDS, coordinator of global AIDS programs Deborah Birks. She stated that “the largest increase in the number of new HIV infections worldwide is observed in Russia due to an insufficient response in the fight against the breadth and depth of the epidemic in the country.”

She did not provide any numbers or data to support her words. However, official statistics confirm these words of a representative of the US State Department. At the beginning of 2017, there were approximately 36.7 million people living with HIV worldwide, mostly in developing countries, including African countries. Of these, Russia accounts for about 900 thousand infected, according to official statistics. The real figures in the Russian Federation, according to domestic experts, are .

In 2016, 1.8 million new infections were recorded worldwide, in other words, about five thousand people become infected with HIV every day on the planet - one every 17 seconds. In Russia, the annual increase in the number of new cases of virus infection is on average 10%: in 2014 - 89,808 cases of new infections, in 2015 - 98,232 new infections, in 2016 - 103,438 cases. And this year will be no exception. Mortality from HIV infection, according to Rosstat, in Russia is also increasing annually: in 2014 - 12,540 deaths, in 2015 - 15,520, in 2016 - 18,575 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which has been keeping HIV statistics by region since data collection and analysis began in the 1980s, reports that the total number of people infected in the European Region has reached 2,167,684, including 1,114,815 cases reported in Russia.

Over the past year, according to WHO, in the European region it was recorded 160 thousand new cases- this is the maximum in the entire history of observations. The European region is the only one where the number of new infections is increasing. But this does not mean that these ominous data apply to Europe. WHO statistics "for the European Region" unite 53 countries with a population of almost 900 million people - excluding the countries of the European economic zone(EU/EEA) also includes Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia.

In the EU countries themselves, only 29 thousand new HIV infections were recorded last year. Russia spoils the “European statistics”, since out of the total regional figure of 160 thousand, more than 103 thousand cases are in our country.

A joint report by WHO and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) states that this is the most big number cases registered in one year. “If the trend continues, we will not be able to meet the target of stopping the spread of the HIV epidemic by 2030,” says Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

Russia also recorded the highest incidence rates in 2016 - 70.6 cases per 100,000 population, in Ukraine this figure was 33.7 per 100 thousand, in Belarus - 25.2, in Moldova - 20.5. The number of new cases of HIV infection diagnosed in Russia and Ukraine is 73% of the number of infections in the European Region and 92% of total number in the east of the European region.

In 2014, more than 142,000 new cases of HIV infection were recorded in the European region (of which 89,808 cases were in the Russian Federation), in 2015 - 153,407 (of which 98,232 were in the Russian Federation). By the end of 2017, there will also be at least 100 thousand new infections in Russia, the head of the Federal Scientific and Methodological Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, Vadim Pokrovsky, is convinced.

According to him, the number of deaths due to HIV-positive status is also growing. “Last year, 18.5 thousand people, according to Rosstat, died from AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). In fact, more than 30 thousand people with HIV died, but why the remaining 15 thousand died is a question that requires study,” - Pokrovsky said.

It cannot be said that the increase in morbidity in Russia is decreasing; we can only talk about a decrease in the increase in new cases. “Our growth is not decreasing, but as it was, remains the same, and increases,” says Vadim Pokrovsky, head of the scientific and methodological Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS.

Since 2016, the Ministry of Health has only taken into account non-anonymous infected people - those who took tests in government medical institutions with a passport and insurance certificate in hand. There were 86,800 of these in 2016 compared to 100,000 in 2015. And taking into account anonymous tests, Rospotrebnadzor in 2016 counted 125,000 new cases of laboratory confirmation of HIV infection. Thus, the Ministry of Health turned a blind eye to at least 20% of those infected. And a considerable part of HIV-infected people do not yet know about their diagnosis, since the latent form can last 10-20 years.

At the same time, there is not enough money in the state budget for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. WHO recommends immunodeficiency virus-suppressing antiretroviral therapy (ARV) for everyone diagnosed with HIV, while in Russia the coverage of ARV therapy is 46% of the 650,000 people with HIV registered by the Ministry of Health, or 33% of the 900,000 living carriers of the virus registered Rospotrebnadzor as of the end of 2016.

State strategy of the Russian Federation to combat HIV: there is no prevention, they only identify those already infected

Let us recall that the state strategy to combat the spread of HIV, adopted by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, set the goal of increasing the coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ARV), which suppresses the immunodeficiency virus, to 90% of all infected people by 2020 - this would make it possible to stop the epidemic.

However, it is not easy for Russian citizens to receive such treatment, and in rural areas it is completely unrealistic; patients are given medications that are far from the most modern, with a large number of side effects and mostly generics - medications, differing in their composition from the original medicine and in quantity active substance, and in terms of its quality.

In February 2015, due to the unfavorable dynamics of the spread of HIV infection in the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Health developed a strategy to combat AIDS until 2020. Officials planned to reduce prices for life-saving drugs for infected people through import substitution and the creation of cheaper Russian analogues.

But the Russian drug for the treatment of HIV will be registered in best case scenario only in 5-10 years, TASS reports. The development of the domestic gene therapy drug "Dinavir", which is being developed by a group of scientists from the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, is now only at the stage of preclinical trials.

As for existing medications, according to the head of the scientific and methodological Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, Vadim Pokrovsky, only a quarter of patients receive them.

Despite the fact that the Russian government announced in April an increase in spending on the fight against AIDS, only 60 thousand people will feel the positive effect - “a drop of water on a hot stone,” Pokrovsky believes.

In general, according to him, in Russia there are no pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs, when antiretroviral drugs are taken by people with a potentially high risk of contracting HIV. There is no money for this, because there is not enough medicine even for already infected citizens. Against this background, the only working and officially approved concept in Russia is the “test and treat” strategy, recalls Medvestnik. “Prevention should prevent infections, but we identify those already infected, more and more every year. At the same time, next year The State Duma is going to reduce the budget for the treatment of HIV infection from 17.5 to 16.5 billion rubles. Therefore, it is not surprising that our epidemic is on the rise,” Pokrovsky said.

“The Russian state does not stand on ceremony with those who criticize it. As soon as Pokrovsky complained about not enough active struggle with the epidemic, as the Ministry of Health deprived the Federal AIDS Center of public funds in June of this year under a flimsy pretext. Non-governmental organizations also face an increased number of obstacles. Many of them are forced to curtail their work because, according to a law passed in 2012, they are required to register as “foreign agents,” recalls the Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung. By the way, in Switzerland the situation is almost stable - in 2016, the virus was detected in 539 people, in 2015 - in 537.

Sex between men remains one of the main routes of HIV transmission

Despite the presence of specialized prevention programs in many European countries, sex between men continues to be the predominant route of HIV transmission in European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries.

In all previous years, cases of HIV diagnosis among men who have sex with men grew at an alarming rate - from 30% in 2005 to 42% in 2014.

According to the acting Director of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Andrea Ammon, to reduce these statistics, new strategies must be adopted, such as HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and access to care for EU citizens living in other countries.

In Russia, the official statistics are different: 40% of all HIV-infected people are people of traditional sexual orientation, from 55% to 60% of those infected were infected as a result of drug use, and only less than 2% were infected through homosexual contacts.

However, these figures are again far from reality due to the fact that in Russia, due to the high level of condemnation, gays cannot even tell doctors that they have had same-sex contacts. "In AIDS centers there is a system of codes that assign different groups. For men who have sex with men, this is 103. But they are given other codes, for example 105 (persons with promiscuity). And thus gays add to the statistics of heterosexual transmission. But according to research public organizations“, in Russia, every sixth gay man is already infected,” Evgeny Pisemsky, head of the Oryol NGO “Phoenix PLUS”, told Radio Liberty.

“Specialists in AIDS centers are well aware of such underestimated statistics. But they are always under the sword of Damocles of the law on so-called propaganda among minors and interpret it in such a way that “just in case, we won’t even mention it, otherwise we will be accused of propaganda.” homosexuality." But only real numbers could convince society that the problem exists,” says Pisemsky.

According to the Open Institute of Health Foundation, the results of a 2017 biobehavioral study show that the average HIV infection rate among gay men in Russia is 18% (in Moscow - 13%, in St. Petersburg - 24%, in Yekaterinburg - 16%).

According to Pisemsky, the state will not be able to fight HIV without recognizing that it is spreading very quickly in this particular risk group. This means that no prevention is carried out in this environment, and gays themselves receive the misleading confidence that the HIV problem does not concern them.

Every second HIV-infected person is diagnosed at a late stage

Almost half of HIV infections across the European Region, which includes Russia, are diagnosed at a late stage: this increases the risks of poor health, death and HIV transmission.

A large number of AIDS cases in Russia and other countries of Eastern Europe confirms that late diagnosis, delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy and low treatment coverage contribute to the development of morbidity, the World Health Organization notes.

HIV/AIDS surveillance data from 2016 suggest that the likelihood of late diagnosis increases with age. Thus, 65% (63% in EU/EEA countries) of people over 50 years of age in the European Region were diagnosed with HIV infection at an advanced stage.

Testing for HIV infection for certain diseases, such as other sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis and some types of cancer, can improve diagnostic quality.

According to Russian statistics, more than half (51%) of registered cases of HIV infection are diagnosed at a late stage of the disease.

According to UNAIDS, the UN organization against AIDS, we have prepared a list of countries where you should be especially careful not to become infected with the “plague of the 20th century.”

Although the country is the most developed on the African continent, the number of HIV-infected people here is a record 5.6 million. This despite the fact that there are 34 million patients in the world, and the population of South Africa is about 53 million, that is, more than 15% are living with the virus.

What you need to know: the majority of HIV-positive people are blacks from disadvantaged suburbs. It is this group that is in the worst social conditions with all the ensuing consequences: drug addiction, promiscuous sex, unsanitary conditions. The most patients were recorded in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (capital - Durban), Mpumalanga (Nelspreid), Freestate (Blomfontien), North West (Mafikeng) and Gauteng (Johanesburg).

Nigeria

There are 3.3 million HIV-infected people here, although this is less than 5% of the population: Nigeria recently supplanted Russia, taking 7th place in the world - 173.5 million people. In big cities, the disease spreads due to antisocial behavior, and in rural areas due to constant labor migration and “free” morals and traditions.

What you need to know: Nigeria is not the most hospitable country and Nigerians themselves understand this very well. Therefore, the receiving party will certainly take care of safety and warn against dangerous contacts.

Kenya

What you need to know: a safari in a national park or a beach and hotel holiday in Mombasa are completely safe activities, unless, of course, you specifically look for illegal entertainment.

Tanzania

A country that is quite friendly for tourists with a lot of interesting places is also dangerous from the point of view of HIV infection, although not like many other countries in Africa. According to recent studies, the HIV/AIDS incidence rate in Tanzania is 5.1%. There are fewer infected men, but the gap is not as large as, for example, in Kenya.

What you need to know: Tanzania, by African standards, is a fairly prosperous country, so if you follow the obvious rules, the threat of infection is minimal. The percentage of infected people is high, more than 10, in the Njobe region and the capital Dar es Salaam. Luckily, both of them are far from the tourist route, unlike Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar Island.

Mozambique

The country is deprived not only of attractions, but also of basic infrastructure from hospitals to roads and water supply. In addition, many consequences of the civil war are still unresolved. Of course, the African country in this state could not avoid the epidemic: according to various estimates, from 1.6 to 5.7 people were infected - conditions simply do not allow for an accurate study. Due to the widespread spread of the immunodeficiency virus, outbreaks of tuberculosis, malaria and cholera often break out.

What you need to know: the country is dysfunctional, an outsider even in its own region. The chance of getting infected here is higher than in others, so you need to be especially careful about precautions.

Uganda

A country with good potential for classic safari tourism, which it has been actively developing lately. Plus, Uganda has been and remains one of the most progressive countries in terms of HIV prevention and diagnosis in Africa. The first specialized clinic was opened here, and there are disease testing centers throughout the country.

What you need to know: the risk groups are the same as everywhere else: drug addicts, former prisoners - it will not be difficult for a sane tourist not to cross paths with them.

Zambia and Zimbabwe

These countries are similar in many ways, even the main attraction is shared between them: Victoria Falls is located right on the border - tourists can come to it from both sides. In terms of living standards and AIDS incidence, the countries are also not far from each other - in Zambia there are almost a million infected, in Zimbabwe - 1.2. This is an average figure for Southern Africa - from 5% to 15% of the population.

What you need to know: There are problems with the provision of medicines; in addition, in rural areas, many self-medicate and practice useless rituals. Therefore, the disease, typical of cities, reached remote areas.

India

What you need to know: Fortunately, HIV infection, unlike many other tropical diseases, depends indirectly on unsanitary conditions. Outright dirt and cramped conditions are normal for India. The main thing, as, by the way, in any country, is to try not to appear in public places if there are wounds and cuts on the body, not to wear open shoes in the city, and we don’t even talk about dubious entertainment.

Ukraine

What you need to know: several years ago, unprotected sex became the method of spreading the disease, overtaking injections with dirty syringes. The Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Odessa and Nikolaev regions are unfavorable. There, per 100 thousand inhabitants there are 600-700 infected. Kyiv, where tourists most often come, has an average level, and Transcarpathia has the lowest level in the country.

America ranks 9th in the world in the number of HIV carriers - 1.2 million people. Such a high rate in one of the most prosperous countries is due to the high level of drug addiction, unresolved social contradictions, and active migration. And the riotous, dissolute 60s were not in vain for the health of the nation. Of course, the disease is concentrated on specific groups of people, who in the United States most often live, not so much separately from everyone else, but localized, in “bad” areas.

What you need to know: Here are ten cities where the percentage of HIV-positive patients is the highest (in descending order): Miami, Baton Rouge, Jacksonville, New York, Washington, Columbia, Memphis, Orlando, New Orleans, Baltimore.