2001.5.6 SUN

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HIV Carriers in Russia to Hit 1 Million by End of 2001

2001.05.06 06:48:22

MOSCOW, May 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The number of HIV-infected persons in Russia will top one million by the end of 2001, the Russian federal AIDS prevention and control center said Saturday.

By the end of 2000, there were 500,000 HIV-carriers reported in Russia, among them over 50,000 in Moscow and the Moscow region, the center said. By now, HIV cases have been registered in 86 of Russia's regions. There are more men among HIV-carriers than women, and 60 percent of the patients are aged from 20 to 30.

By April 1, 2001, the rate of HIV spread came to 70.8 persons per 100,000, while five years ago this index was only 0.6, the center said.

Analyzing the possible development of the situation this year, the center's experts forecast a significant increase in the number of HIV infections in St. Petersburg, Samara, Kemerovo, Perm, Ryazan, Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk and Ivanovo regions, as well as in the Altai territory.

The main factor of risk to contract an HIV virus in Russia remains intravenous drug injection. Last year, 33,420 people were infected in this way.

The distribution of other risk factors is as follows: 58 men were infected through homosexual contact, 1,153 patients through heterosexual contact, and 223 children were born by HIV-infected mothers, primarily users of psychoactive drugs, the center said. Enditem

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2001