Russia's HIV Epidemic is Growing

[Rogue Valley]

Russia's HIV Epidemic is Growing, Affecting Older Citizens — Watchdog | The Moscow Times

7/4/19
HIV infections are on the rise and are increasingly affecting Russia’s older population, according to a consumer watchdog report cited by the RBC news website. More than 1.2 million people live with HIV in Russia, a figure experts say is likely under-reported and that the World Health Organization warns is at risk of spinning out of control. The crisis has led to the deaths of some 318,000 Russians since the first HIV case was registered three decades ago, with almost 37,000 of these deaths happening last year. Over 1 percent of the general population in 13 Russian regions was living with HIV in 2018, said a Federal Consumer Protection Service, or Rospotrebnadzor, report cited by RBC Wednesday. That’s up from nine regions with 1 percent or more HIV-infected Russians the last time data was published in 2015. “The population doesn’t use condoms, their sales are falling,” Vadim Pokrovsky, the head of Rospotrebnadzor’s AIDS prevention research center, told RBC.

While new HIV cases are declining, with 87,700 infections registered in 2018, the reported share of those infected through heterosexual contact has grown to more than half in the past two years. Moreover, seven out of 10 new HIV cases are among economically active Russians aged between 30 and 50, Rospotrebnadzor’s report cited by RBC said. “People aged 50 and over practice many forms of risky behavior typically prevalent among young people,” Pokrovsky told RBC. The Health Ministry argued that the rise in HIV infections shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing, as it indicates that fewer people die from complications linked with the disease, Interfax quoted the ministry as saying.

The Russian government uses only minimal resources to help AIDS/HIV patients. The government also does not offer addiction treatment/medications for drug addicts.

 

[OldFatGuy]

Rhe Russian government uses only minimal resources to help AIDS/HIV patients. The government also does not offer addiction treatment/medications for drug addicts.

I believe you'll find std infection ratios in the US is greatest among those over age 50, similar to prescription opioid abuse. Russia, like the US is suffering from increased inexpensive heroin entering the nation from Afghanistan. Heroin with purity levels unheard of when heroin use in the US was pandemic, and often the heroin is cut with Chinese produced fentanyl, for that extra kick.

For reasons I can only guess at, men over age 50 seem to believe they are immune to stds including HIV, and engage in risky sexual behavior.

Could it be more disingenuous for Russian authorities to claim that rising HIV infections ratios indicate less people are dying from complications thereof?

Considering Russia's significant problems with alcoholism, adding drug abuse and increased std infection ratios, will not reverse the shrinking birthrate issue the nation is confronted with. Russia allows for no immigration from other nations, and still suffers fairly massive emigration from the nation because of economic insufficiencies and opportunities. We here in the west have little understanding of Russian poverty in the east, and as we complain about our own economic inequalities, we do not compare our nation to far greater economic inequalities in Russia and many other nations.

Stalin claimed there was no crime in the Soviet Union because there is no crime in paradise. That attitude still prevails, and while it continues so will Russia's inability to confront reality. In some ways just like our nation.

 

[TheParser]

What horrible news.

Some way must be found to deal with the causes of HIV infection.

1. Is it due to illegal drug use?

2. Is it due to contaminated blood? (Just as Russian airplanes have less than admirable maintenance standards, I fear for the integrity of the blood supply.)

3. Is it due to unsafe straight and gay sexual practices?


Russians who emigrate to the States are such intelligent and productive new Americans.

What a shame that their homeland seems incapable of getting its act together. Granted, it is a difficult task when one remembers that the suffering Russian people have never known anything but dictators in their tragic history.

 

[Rogue Valley]

I believe you'll find std infection ratios in the US is greatest among those over age 50, similar to prescription opioid abuse.

std encompasses every sexually transmitted disease. Russia, with only half the US population, has twice as many annual HIV deaths as the US.

Russia allows for no immigration from other nations, and still suffers fairly massive emigration from the nation because of economic insufficiencies and opportunities.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova last week called the overall population loss in Russia "catastrophic".

Top Russian Official Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Population Loss

We here in the west have little understanding of Russian poverty in the east, and as we complain about our own economic inequalities, we do not compare our nation to far greater economic inequalities in Russia and many other nations.

I've visited many regions of Russia east of the Urals. You are right. People in the West have no real grasp of the grinding poverty that is found in these areas.

 

[OldFatGuy]

std encompasses every sexually transmitted disease. Russia, with only half the US population, has twice as many annual HIV deaths as the US.

Lack of admission, and no official policy to provide treatment.

Truly sad.

I still have distant relatives living in NE Russia. They are mostly segregated from Russians, by choice. Their vision of wealth is our lower middle class vision of getting by. I communicate with them regularly, sending them packages of American goods at the holidays, theirs, not ours. Axes, steel hunting knives, composite bows, hand farm tools, yarns, cotton sheets, and so forth. Greatly appreciated. These people were in Russia before the Rus, and are the original architects of the timber Dachas. When Russia attempted to invade Finland, they allied themselves with the Finns. When Stalin ordered them relocated, before and after WWII, they would cross the border into Finland, returning when Russian troops left. When the Germans confronted them during the war, complete failure,100% loss of German forces. Today they live undisturbed by the central government. We hear nothing about them in the west, and neither do most Russians. This is their preference.