December 10, 2023

Emerging HIV Epidemic?


Emerging HIV Epidemic?
Creative artwork featuring colorized 3D prints of HIV virus particles. NIAID, Flickr

In 2022, Russia identified 71,000 new HIV cases, bringing the total number of people with HIV in the country to almost 1.2 million. In at least 19 regions, the epidemic has extended beyond vulnerable groups, affecting the entire population, according to the Esli Byt Tochnym ("If One is Being Accurate") project.

Their research indicates that the most challenging situation with HIV infection exists in Siberian and Ural regions, including the Kemerovo, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, and Tomsk regions and Altai, Krasnoyarsk, and Perm territories. 

To halt the HIV epidemic, widespread access to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is crucial. Continuous ARV therapy renders a person's viral load undetectable, preventing virus transmission. However, Russia is experiencing a shortage of ARV drugs.

Esli Byt Tochnym reported that, in 2022, the Ministry of Health spent a record R42 billion ($455 million) on medicine purchases, but a quarter of this amount was taken from the 2023 budget. Consequently, funds for HIV treatment were nearly depleted by May.

According to Esli Byt Tochnym data in 2022, residents of Moscow, Crimea, Leningrad region, and Chechnya received inadequate treatment, with less than 50 percent of people with HIV in these regions receiving care.

The situation is particularly dire in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Local activists report that therapy supplies from Ukraine ceased after the invasion, and purchases from Russia have not yet been established. Consequently, doctors are distributing expired pills from old stocks.

The interruptions in medicine supply in Russia may be attributed to the high costs of the Russian war in Ukraine and underestimated statistics maintained by Russian departments, according to the independent outlet DOXA. “A lot of money goes to military needs, but there are no fewer patients due to poor HIV prevention in Russia,” said  Maxim Malyshev, the social work coordinator at the Andrey Rylkov Foundation.

Previously, the UN disclosed that, at the end of 2021, Russia was one of five countries in the world with the highest rates of HIV spread.

You Might Also Like

$10,000 for a Fake Injury
  • December 05, 2023

$10,000 for a Fake Injury

Russian soldiers use bribes to buy vacations and the opportunity not to participate in assaults.
Of War and Yachts
  • August 29, 2023

Of War and Yachts

Despite Russia's War on Ukraine and ongoing sanctions, the Russian state spent $32 million on a yacht linked to Vladimir Putin.
A Shortage of Drugs
  • August 23, 2023

A Shortage of Drugs

Nearly 200 medications could vanish from the Russian market due to sanctions and isolation.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955