Your Health: Russia and HIV

March 24, 2000
Web posted at: 5:31 p.m. EST (2231 GMT)

MOSCOW (CNN) -- Vadim Pokrovsky is a scientist desperate for attention. He wants the Russian government recognize and address a problem the United Nations is already aware of: Russia's rapidly growing HIV-infected population.

"We can say that a total of more than 100,000 Russians are now infected with HIV," Pokrovsky says.

With 15,000 new cases of HIV last year, Russia has the fastest-growing potential AIDS population in the world.

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Intravenous drug use is the main source of the spread in Russia. Many of those who may be infected are not tested due to lack of public awareness or fear of reprisals. Because of this, Pokrovsky estimates these numbers only represent 20 percent of the problem.

At that rate, a million Russians may be infected with HIV in just two to three years.

"The death of one million young people would be a very serious problem, a very serious situation for Russia," Pokrovsky says.

Medical Correspondent Eileen O'Connor visited with Pokrovsky and HIV patients at an infectious disease hospital in Moscow to discuss the growing problem.

Your Health airs each Saturday at 2:30 p.m. EST, and Sunday at 3 p.m. EST.

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Russian Public Health Institute
WHO/OMS: World Health Organization
United Nations

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